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ANGOLA 


THE  RIVER  CONGO. 


/ 


•ANGOLA 


AND 


THE    EIVEK   CONGO: 


BY  9j\llAy^ 


JOACHIM    JOHN    iMONTEFKO 

ASSOCIATK   OV   TIIE    ROV^AL   SOHOOL   OF    MINKS,    AND    COFtHKSI'ONDING 
MKMiJER   OK    THI.;    ZOOLOGICAL   SOCIKTY. 


W/TH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


I^t^  forh: 
MACMILLAN     AND    0  0. 

1876. 


X'i^^12> 


.  •    *    • 

'•  •    • 
•  ••• 


.•  :  • 


•• 


?••••-  • 


t 


TO 

EOSE,  MY   WIFE 

IN   LOVING   KEME31BBANCE   OF   THE   HAPPY  DAYS   WE   PASSED   TOGETHER 
IN  THE  PEACEFUL   STILLNESS  AND   TROPICAL   LUXURIANCE 
OF  THE   VAST   SOLITUDES  OF   ANGOLA.  • 


PEEFACE. 


The  following  description  of  the  country  between  the 
Kiver  Zaire  or  Congo,  and  Mossamedes  or  Little  Fish 
Bay,  comprising  ten  degrees  of  latitude,  is  the  result  of 
many  years  of  travel  in  and  exploration  of  that  part  of 
the  coast. 

My  aim  has  been  to  present  an  accurate  and  truthful 
account  of  its  more  striking  features  and  productions,  and 
of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  various  tribes  which 
inhabit  it. 

I  have  avoided  mentioning  more  names  of  places  and 
persons  than  are  necessary,  as  they  would  be  of  little 
or  no  interest  to  the  general  reader.  I  have  also  omitted 
detailed  lists  and  descriptions  of  plants  and  animals  that 
I  have  collected,  as  such  would  only  interest  naturalists, 
who  are  referred  to  the  different  scientific  publications  in 
which  they  have  been  described. 

This  being  the  iirst  detailed  account  of  a  most  inte- 
resting and  rich  part  of  Tropical  Africa,  I  leave  it  with 
confidence  to  the  indulgence  of  my  readers,  assuring  them 
that  at  all  events  a  want  of  truth  is  not  included  in  its 
shortcomings. 


C    vii    ) 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAQR 

History         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..         ..       1 


CHAPTER  ir. 
Physical  Geography  —  Character  of  Vegetation  —  Rivers     13 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  River  Congo  a  Boundary  —  Slave  Trade  —  Slavery  — 
Ordeal  by  Poison  —  Insensibility  of  the  Negro  —  In- 
gratitude ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..     30 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  River  Congo  —  Banana  — Porto  da  Lenha — Boma  — 
MussuRONGO  Tribe  —  Pirates  —  Mushicongo  Tribe  —  Fish 

—  Palm  Chop  —  Palm  Wine   ..  ..  ..         ..  ..45 

CHAPTER  V. 

Country  from  the  River  Congo  to  Aubriz  —  Vegetation  — 
Trading  —  Civilization  —  Commerce  —  Products  —  Ivory 

—  Musserra  —  Sleep  Disease  —  Salt  —  Mineral  Pitch       56 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

fAOB 

Ambriz  —  Trade  —  Malachite  —  Road  to  Bembs  —  Travel- 
ling —  Mosquitoes  —  Quiballa  to  Quilumbo  —  Natives 
—  Quilumbo  TO  Bembe  ..  ,.  ..  ..  ..  ..     84 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Bembe — Malachite  Deposit — Root  Parasite — Ekgongui  — 
Mortality  of  Cattle  —  Fairs  —  King  of  Congo—  Recep- 
tions —  Customs  —  San  Salvador  —  Fevers  —  Return  to 
Ambriz      ..  ..  ..  ,.  ..  ..  ..  ..   104 


CHAPTER  YUL 

Character  of  the  Negro  —  Fetish  —  Customs  —  Arms  and 
AVar  —  Dress  —  Zombo  Tribe  —  Burial  —  Insanity         . .   131 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Customs  of  the  Mussurongo,  Ambriz,  and  Mushicongo 
Negroes  —  Mandioca  Plant;  its  Preparations  —  Chili 
Pepx'er  —  Bananas  —  Rats  —  White  Ant  —  Native  Beer 
—  Strange  Sounds        ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..   154 


CHAPTER  X. 

Country   from   Ambriz    to   Loanda  —  Mossulo — Libongo  — 
Bitumen  —  River  Dande  —  River    Bengo  —  Quifandongo  1G8 


CHAPTER  XI. 

City  of  Loanda  —  Natives  —  Slavery  —  Convicts  —  Theatre 
and  Morals        ,.         ..  ..         ,.         ..  ..  ..   178 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

r  ^^^^ 

I  )b' Division  of  Akgola  —  Weetched  Pay  of  Officials  —  Abuses 

y  BY  Authorities  —  Evils  of  High  Import  Duties  —  Silver 
Mines  of  Cambambe  —  Journey  to  Cambambe  —  Explora- 
tion —  Volcanic  PiOCks  —  Hornbill  —  The  Plant  ain- 
eatek  —  Hyenas  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..   195 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Province  of  Cazengo  —  Golungo  Alto  —  Gold  —  Wild  Coffee 
—  Iron  Smelting  —  Former  Missionaries  —  Customs  — 
Natives — Productions  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..   213 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

River  Quanza  —  Calumbo  —  Bruto  —  Muxima  —  Massangano 

—  DoNDo  —  Falls  of  Cambambe  —  Dances  —  Musical  In- 
struments—  QUISSAMA — LiBOLLO        ..  ..  ..  ..    223 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Country  South  of  the  River  QUanza — Cassanza  —  Novo 
Redondo  —  Celts  —  Cannibals  —  Lions  —  Hot  Springs  — 
Bees  —  Egito  —  Scorpions  —  River  Aniia  —  Catumbella     249 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Town  of  Benguella  —  Slave-trade  —  Mundombes  —  Customs 

—  Copper  —  Hyenas  —  Monkeys  —  Copper     Deposit  — 
Gypsum  —  Hornbills  —  Birds  —  Fish  —  Lions        ..  ..   265 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Country  between  Benguella  and  Mossamedes  —  Mossamedes 
—  Curious  Deposits  of  Water  —  Hyena  —  Welwitschia 
mibabilis  —  Mirage       ..  ..  ..  282 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TAGE 

Climate  —  Cookery  —  Drunkenness  —  Fever  —  Native 
Treatment  —  Ulcers  —  Smoking  Wild  -  hemp  —  Native 
Remedies  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..   294 


CHAPTER  XIX, 

Customs  —  Burial  —  White  Ant  —  Wasps  —  Fruits  — 
Scents  —  Spitting -snake  —  ScARABiEUS  —  Lemur  ..  ..   313 


CHAPTER  XX. 
Conclusion  ,.         „        334 


Appendix..         ..         »•         ••         ••         ..         ••         ••        339 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Drawn  on  Wood  by  Mh.  Edward  Fielding;  the  Views  from 
Sketches  by  Mrs.  Monteiro,  and  from  Photographs;  the 
Implements,  &c.,  from  the  Originals. 

Map     ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          .,  ..  Frontispiece. 

Travelling  in  Angola  —  View  near  Ambriz     ..  ..  To  face  page     13 

Porto  da  Lenha           ..          ..          ..          ..  ..  „               45 

View  on  the  Congo,  above  Boma      ..          ..  „  „               55 

Ankle-ring  —  Ring    to    ascend    Palm-trees  — 
Cage  for  carrying  Ivory  tusks  —  Eugongui— 
Fetish  figure  —  Mask  —  Pillow  . .  . .  „  78 

Granite   Pillar  of  Musserra  —  Hoe  —  Pipe  — 

Knives^ — Clapping  hands  and  Answer  ..  „  80 

View    in    the    hilly    country    of    Quiballa  — 

Camoensia  maxima        ..  ..  ..  ..  „  97 

Quilumbo        ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  „  102 

Bembe  Valley  ..  ..  ..  ..  ,.  „  104 

Bembe  Peak „  127 

View  of  the  City  of  St.  Paul  de  Loanda      ..          ..  „  178 
Bellows  —  Marimba  —  Native  smiths  —  Rat- 
trap          „  218 

Maxilla  and  Barber's  shop  —  Carrying  corpse  for 
burial  —  Quissama  Women,  and  maimer  of 
pounding  and  sifting  meal  in  Angola   ..  ..  „  247 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


Mundombes  and  Huts  ..  ..  ..  .,    Tofacejpage  208 

Xativc-smeltcd  Copper  —  Powder-flask  —  Mun- 
dombe  Axe  —  Manner  of  securing  Fish  for 
drying  —  Hunters'  fetish  (Benguella)  —  Man- 
ner of  carrying  in  the  hand  (native  jug)  — 
Gourd-pipe  for  smoking  Diamba  —  Wooden 
dish — Double-handled  hoe       ..  ..  ..  „  270 

Welwitschias    growing    in    a    plain    near  Mossa- 

medes       ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  „  291 

Pelopaus  spirifex  and  nest  —  Devil  of  the  Road  — 
Dasylus  sp.  —  Caterpillars'  nests  —  Mantis  and 
Nest  —  Manis  multiscutatura  and  Ants'  nests  ,,  318 


ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTOKY. 

The  folloAYing  sketcli  of  the  discovery  and  earlier  liistory 
of  Angola  is  translated  and  condensed  from  an  interesting 
work  in  Portuguese  by  Feo  Cardozo,  on  the  *  History  of 
the  Governors  of  Angola '  (Paris,  8vo,  1825) : — 

*'  The  Portuguese,  engrossed  by  the  great  hof)es  raised  by 
the  conquest  of  Brazil  and  the  Indies,  did  not  determine  to 
establish  themselves  in  Angola  till  eighty-four  years  after 
they  had  discovered  it.  The  King  of  Angola,  jealous 
of  the  advantages  that  he  supposed  his  neighbour  the 
King  of  Congo  derived  from  his  trade  and  intercourse 
with  the  Portuguese,  determined  to  send  several  of  his 
subjects  to  Portugal  to  beg  the  like  friendship  for 
himself.  Queen  Catherine,  acceding  to  his  request,  sent 
to  him  Paulo  Diaz  de  Novaes,  grandson  of  the  famous 
Bartolomeo  Diaz,  who  had  discovered  the  greater  part  of 
the  West  Coast  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Paulo  Diaz 
left  Lisbon  in  September,  1559,  with  three  ships,  a  few 
soldiers,  and  a  present  for  the  King,  bearing  instructions 
to  open  commercial  relations  with  the  latter,  and  to  convert 
him  to  Christianity.  After  many  dangers  he  arrived  in 
May,  1560,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kiver  Quanza ;  the  King 
of  Angola  was  dead,  but  his  son,  who  then  reigned,  re- 
newed on  his  arrival  his  father^s  request  for  friendly 
relations  with  the  Portuguese.  Paulo  Diaz,  relying  on 
his  statements,  landed  with  only  twenty  men,  and  leaving 

B 


.•r. ;  U  I  y  I  \4'N^^L1  ^^^ID^THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

the  rest  on  board  the  ships  ordered  them  to  return  to  Por- 
tugal if  within  a  certain  time  he  should  not  come  back  to 
them.  He  immediately  marched  to  the  Court  of  Angola, 
Avhere  he  and  liis  present  were  received  by  the  King  with 
acclamation. 

*•  After  the  lapse  of  a  few  days,  Paulo  Diaz,  Avishing  to 
retire  to  his  ships,  was  prevented  by  the  King  under  the 
pretence  of  his  aid  being  required  in  some  wars  he  was  then 
engaged  in.  He  was  thus  detained  a  prisoner  until  the 
King,  hard  pressed  by  the  revolt  of  one  of  his  power- 
ful vassals,  determined  to  allow  him  to  return  to  Por- 
tugal, so  that  he  might  bring  him  assistance.  From  the  • 
missals,  altar-stones,  and  old-fashioned  church  furniture 
that  he  saw  in  the  hands  of  the  negroes  during  his  expe- 
dition into  the  interior,  Paulo  Diaz  concluded  that  mis- 
sionaries had  already  been  in  the  country  many  years 
before.  Pteturning  to  Portugal  he  gave  an  aecoiint  of 
what  he  had  seen  to  the  King,  Don  Sebastian,  who  sent 
him  back  with  the  title  of  Conqueror,  Coloniser,  and 
Governor  of  Angola,  and  conceded  to  him  ample  powers 
for  the  establishment  of  the  new  colony. 

*'  Paulo  Diaz  left  Lisbon  in  October,  1574,  with  a  fleet  of 
seven  ships,  and  seven  hundred  men,  and  sighted  land 
after  a  passage  of  three  montlis  and  a  half.  Landing  on 
the  island  facing  the  present  city  of  Loanda,  he  took  formal 
possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Portugal.  An 
immense  number  of  negroes  witne.>^sed  the  ceremony,  as 
well  as  forty  Portuguese  who  had  retired  from  the  kingdom 
of  Congo,  owing  to  the  wars  amongst  the  negroes  of  that 
country. 

"  The  King  of  Angola  received  the  Portuguese  with  great 
joy,  and  in  return  for  the  presents  that  Dom  Sebastian  had 
sent  him,  gave  Paulo  Diaz  several  armlets  of  silver  and 
of  copper,  and  sticks  of  Quicongo  wood  ;  the  silver  of  the 
armlets  was  afterwards  made  into  a  chalice  and  presented 
to  the  church  of  Belem  at  Lisbon. 

"  Finding  that  the  island  was  not  suitable  for  establishing 
the  new  colony,  the  Portuguese  removed  to  the  mainland, 
and  choosing  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  fortress  of 


HISTORY. 


San  Miguel,  built  a  church  and  founded  their  first  colony 
in  Angola.  They  then  aided  the  King,  and  enabled 
him  speedily  to  reduce  his  rebel  vassal  to  obedience. 
After  several  months  passed  in  the  greatest  friendship, 
the  King  of  Congo  attempted  to  intrigue  against  the 
Portuguese,  but  without  success.  Perfect  peace  existed 
between  the  Portuguese  and  the  blacks  of  Angola  for 
six  years,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  base  perfidy  of 
a.  Portuguese,  who  begged  the  King  to  make  him  his 
slave,  as  he  wished  to  disclose  a  most  important  secret. 
Astonished  at  this  proposition,  the  King  called  together 
his  'Macotas'  or  council,  and  in  their  presence  ordered 
the  infamous  traitor  to  divulge  it ;  on  which  he  said  that 
Paulo  Diaz  planned  despoiling  him  of  his  kingdom  and 
mines,  for  which  purpose  he  had  collected  great  stores 
of  powder  and  ball.  Next  day  the  King  caused  all  the 
Portuguese  to  appear  before  him,  and  in  their  presence 
the  tyaitor  repeated  his  story.  The  Portuguese,  in 
astonishment,  attempted  to  refute  the  calumny,  but  with- 
out attending  to  their  explanations  the  King  ordered  them 
from  his  presence,  and  taking  counsel  of  his  *  Macotas  *  was 
persuaded  by  them  to  destroy  at  once  all  the  Portuguese,  and 
thus  avert  the  threatened  danger.  Approving  their  advice, 
he  feigned  forgetfulness  of  the  occurrence,  then  under 
pretence  of  a  war  in  the  interior,  sent  forward  the  Portu-- 
guese,  who,  ignorant  of  the  stratagem,  were  all  suddenly 
set  upon  and  murdered,  together  with  the  Christian  slaves, 
numbering  over  a  thousand.  A  similar  fate  befel  all  the 
Portuguese  engaged  in  trading  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  and  their  goods  and  property  were  taken 
possession  of.  The  traitor  received  the  just  punishment 
of  his  infam}^,  for  the  King  ordered  him  to  be  executed, 
saying,  it  was  not  right  that  one  should  live  who  had 
caused  the  death  of  his  countrymen.  This  cruel  butchery 
concluded,  the  King  sent  Paulo  Diaz,  who  was  on  his 
journey  from  Loanda,  an  order  not  to  proceed  beyond  the 
spot  at  which  he  should  receive  it. 

"  The  Governor,  though  totally  ignorant  of  the  horriblo 
catastrophe,   distrusted    the    message,   and,   retiring    to 

B  2 


ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 


Anzelle,  erected  a  wooden  intrencliment,  and  fortifying 
it  witli  two  small  camion,  awaited  the  solution  of  the 
affair.  But  few  days  had  elapsed  before  he  received 
tidings  of  the  dreadful  tragedy,  and  of  the  advance  of  a 
great  army  of  blacks  to  annihilate  him  and  the  remaining 
Portuguese.  This  news,  far  from  terrifying  him,  inspired 
him  with  the  hope  of  speedily  avenging  the  murder  of 
his  countrymen.  Animating  his  garrison,  of  only  150 
men,  with  the  same  sentiment,  he,  with  the  aid  of  their 
two  guns,  repelled  the  attack  of  the  blacks,  causing  such 
havoc  among  them  that  they  were  completely  routed  and 
dispersed;  he  also  sent  his  lieutenant  into  the  interior  to 
ravage  it  with  fire  and  sword.  This  was  accomplished  so 
successfully,  that  the  King,  repenting  of  his  barbarity, 
turned  against  the  Macotas  who  had  counselled  him, 
and  ordered  them  all  to  be  put  to  death. 

*' Paulo  Diaz  being  reinforced  from  Portugal,  defeated 
several  of  the  *Sobas,'  or  chiefs  of  Quissama,  who  at- 
tempted to  impede  his  navigation  of  the  Eiver  Quanza, 
defeated  a  second  time  the  King  of  Angola,  and  conquered 
the  greater  part  of  the  Provinces  of  Quissama  and  Illamba, 
the  whole  of  which  he  could  not  occupy  from  want  of  men. 
He  then,  resolving  to  acquire  the  silver  mines  said  to 
exist  in  the  mountains  of  Cambambe,  fortified  himself 
with  his  Lieutenant,  Luis  Serrao,  and  120  men,  at  Tacan- 
dongo,  which  is  a  short  distance  from  the  supposed  mines. 

"  Here  they  were  approached  by  the  third  army  of  the 
King  of  Angola,  so  numerous  that  it  extended  for  two 
leaeues.  The  Governor  attacked  it  on  the  2nd  February,  , 
1583,  before  it  had  had  time  to  form  on  the  plain  below, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  several  native  chiefs  fell  on  the 
black  multitude  with  such  success  as  to  disperse  it  com- 
pletely in  a  few  hours,  leaving  the  field  covered  with  dead. 
Paulo  Diaz  ordered  the  noses  of  all  the  slain  to  be  cut  off,, 
and  sent  several  loads  of  them  to  Loan  da  as  evidence  of 
his  victory,  and  to  inspire  the  blacks  with  the  fear  of  his 
arms.  The  King  of  Angola,  rendered  desperate  by  these 
repeated  defeats,  attempted  with  a  fourth  army  to  obtain 
a  victory  over  the  Portuguese,  but  was  again  routed  with 


BISrORY. 


^reat  slaughter.  In  celebration  of  the  above  victory 
Paulo  Diaz  founded  the  first  settlement  in  the  interior  at 
Massangano,  under  the  title  of  Nossa  Senhora  da  Victoria. 

*'In  1597,  200  Flemish  colonists  arrived  at  Loanda, 
but  nearly  the  whole  of  them  quickly  died  from  the  effects 
of  the  climate. 

*' About  the  same  time  the  colony  of  Benguella  was 
founded  by  a  party  of  seventy  soldiers,  but  fifty  of  these 
having  walked  out  unarmed  on  the  beach,  to  amuse 
themselves  by  fishing,  were  surprised  by  a  large  number 
of  blacks,  who  cut  their  heads  off,  and  then  attacked  the 
twenty  mon  in  the  fort.  They  defended  themselves  bravely 
until  all  but  two,  who  managed  to  escape,  were  killed. 

*' Constantly  engaged  in  wars  with  the  powerful 
'  Sobas '  and  savage  populous  nations  of  the  interior,  the 
Portuguese  gradually  extended  and  established  their 
power  in  Angola. 

"In  1595,  Jeronymo  d' Almeida,  with  400  men  and 
twenty-one  horses,  again  started  from  Loanda  to  take 
possession  of  the  silver  mines  of  Cambambe,  and  on  his 
way  established  the  fort  at  Muxima  on  the  Kiver  Quanza. 
Continuing  his  march,  he  fell  ill,  and  was  obliged  to 
return  to  Loanda,  leaving  his  officers  in  command.  These 
w^ere  unfortunately  drawn  into  an  ambuscade  in  a  rocky 
ravine  at  Cambambe,  where,  an  immense  number,  of  blacks 
falling  on  them,  206  of  the  Portuguese  were  slain,  not- 
withstanding their  bravest  resistance,  and  only  seven 
men  escaped  the  wholesale  slaughter. 

"  In  the  same  year  Joao  Furtado  de  Mendonpa  arrived 
at  Loanda,  bringing  with  him  twelve  white  women,  the 
first  that  had  ever  arrived  in  Angola,  and  who  are  said  to 
have  all  married  immediately. 

"The  new  Governor's  first  acts  were  to  retrieve  the 
losses  suffered  by  his  predecessor,  but  starting  in  the 
worst  season  of  the  year,  he  remained  some  time  on  the 
banks  of  the  River  Bengo,  where  200  men  died  of  fever, 
the  rest  suffering  greatly  from  hunger.  At  last,  cun- 
tinuing  his  march  with  the  remains  of  his  force,  he  very 
successfully  reduced  the  rebellious  '  Sobas'  to  obedience,  and 


ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 


relieving  the  little  garrison  at  Massangano,  inflicted  great 
loss  on  the  blacks  in  a  battle  at  that  place.  Eetnrning 
down  the  Kiver  Quanza,  he  re-established  at  Muxima 
the  fort   that  had  been  abandoned. 

"In  1602,  Juao  liodrigues  Coutinho arrived  as  Governor 
with  reinforcements  of  men  and  ammunition,  and  full 
powers  to  promote  the  conquest  of  the  silver  mines  of 
Cambambe.  A  powerful  and  well-appointed  expedition 
again  started  for  this  purpose,  but  on  arriving  at  a  place 
called  Cacullo  Quiaquimone  he  fell  ill  and  died.  Manoel 
Cerveira  Pereira,  his  successor,  resolving  to  carry  out  his 
predecessor's  intentions,  marched  into  Cambambe,  and  on 
the  lOtli  August,  1G03,  offered  battle  to  the  Soba  Cafuxe, 
whom  he  defeated  in  a  great  engagement ;  continuing  his 
march  lie  built  a  fort  in  Cambambe  and  forced  the  Soba 
Cambambe  to  submit. 

"  About  1606,  the  first  attempt  was  made  to  communi- 
cate across  the  continent  of  Africa  with  the  Kiver  Senna, 
on  the  eastern  coast,  and  for  this  expedition  Balthazar 
Eebello  de  Aragao  was  chosen,  but  after  proceeding  for  a 
considerable  distance  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  relieve 
the  garrison  at  Cambambe,  closely  besieged  by  the 
blacks. 

'*  Though  constant  wars  were  necessary  to  reduce  the 
warlike  Sobas  of  the  interior  to  obedience,  the  successes 
of  the  Portuguese  continued,  and  their  efforts  were  also 
directed  to  the  conquest  of  Benguella  and  settlement  there. 

'*In  the  year  1621,  the  famous  Queen  Ginga  Bandi 
came  to  Loanda  as  head  of  an  embassy  from  her  brother, 
the  Gola  Bandi ;  she  arranged  a  treaty  of  peace  with  tlie 
Portuguese,  was  converted  to  Christianity  and  baptized 
under  the  name  of  Ginga  Donna  Anna  de  Souza.  She 
was  proclaimed  Queen  of  Angola  on  the  death  of  her 
brother,  whom  she  ordered  to  be  poisoned,  never  forgiving 
him  for  having  killed  her  son.  She  then  not  only  forsook 
Christianity,  but  forgetting  the  manner  in  which  she  had 
been  treated  by  the  Portuguese,  bore  them  a  deadly  hatred 
iTor  upwards  of  thirty  years,  during  which  time  she  was 
unsuccessful  in  all  her  w^^rs  against  them. 


HIS  TOBY. 


'^  The  Dutch,  who  for  several  years  had  greatly  annoyed 
tlie  Portuguese  on  the  West  Coast,  attempted  to  possess 
themselves  of  some  of  their  ports  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  a  supply  of  slaves  for  their  colonies  in  America. 
During  the  governorsliip  of  Fernan  de  Souza  the  Dutcli 
despatched  a  fleet  of  eight  ships  commanded  by  Petri 
Petrid,  who  attempted  to  force  the  bar  of  Loanda,  but 
meeting  with  a  determined  resistance  retired  from  the 
coast  after  a  stay  of  three  months,  having  oidy  captured 
four  small  vessels. 

'*The  Count  of  Nassau,  considering  that  without  an 
abundant  supply  of  slaves  from  the  west  coast  the  Dutch 
possessions  in  America  would  be  of  little  value,  determined 
to  take  stronger  measures  for  obtaining  them,  and  sent  a 
powerful  fleet  of  twenty  vessels,  under  the  command  of 
General  Tolo.  On  the  24th  August,  1641 ,  this  formidable 
fleet  appeared  at  Loanda,  and  such  was  the  consternation 
it  caused  that  the  Governor  and  inhabitants  abandoned 
the  city  and  retired  to  Bembem.  The  Dutcli  landing  next 
day  became,  without  opposition,  masters  of  the  place  and 
of  a  large  booty. 

"Pedro  Cezar  retired  to  the  Eiver  Bengo,  bnt,  pursued 
by  the  Dut(^h,  retired  to  Massangano,  where  the  Portuguese 
suffered  terribly  from  the  effects  of  the  climate.  Many  of 
the  native  chiefs,  taking  advantage  of  the  occasion,  rose 
in  arms  against  them.  Queen  Ginga  and  several  other 
powerful  chiefs  immediately  formed  an  alliance  with  the 
Dutch.  The  Portuguese  attempted,  but  unsuccessfully, 
to  punish  several  of  them.  The  Dutch  subsequently 
formed  a  truce  with  the  Portuguese,  in  consequence  of 
news  arriving  from  Europe  of  a  treaty  of  peace  having 
been  concluded  between  the  two  powers ;  but  shortly 
after,  treacherously  attacking  the  Portuguese,  they  killed 
the  principal  officers  and  forty  men,  and  took  the  Governor 
and  120  men  prisoners. 

"Those  that  escaped  fled  to  IMasj-angano  until  another 
truce  was  concluded,  and  means  were  found  to  enable 
Pedro  Cezar  to  escape  from  the  fortress  of  San  ]\Iiguel, 
where  he  was  imprisoned. 


ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 


"  Francisco  de  Soutomayor  now  arrived  from  Portugal 
as  Governor  of  Angola,  and  with  the  remnant  of  the  troops 
at  Benguella,  where  he  had  landed,  proceeded  to  Massan- 
gano,  without  knowledge  of  the  enemy.  Queen  Ginga, 
influenced  secretly  by  the  Dutch,  was  collecting  her 
forces  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  the  Portuguese,  but 
was  completely  defeated,  leaving  2000  blacks  dead  on 
the  field  of  battle.  A  few  days  after,  the  Dutch  again 
broke  their  truce,  and  the  Portuguese,  incensed  at  their 
repeated  treachery,  declared  war  against  them.  Thus  they 
remained  till  the  arrival  of  Salvador  Correa  de  Sa  e 
Benavides,  Governor  of  Rio  Janeiro,  from  which  place 
he  started  in  May,  1648,  Avith  a  fleet  of  fifteen  vessels  and 
900  men.  Towards  the  expenses  of  this  expedition  the 
inhabitants  of  Eio  Janeiro  largely  contributed,  as  they 
saw  how  hurtful  to  their  interests  the  loss  of  Angola 
would  be  from  tiie  failure  in  the  supply  of  slave  labour. 

''  Arrived  at  Loanda,  he  sent  a  message  to  the  Dutch 
Governor  that  although  his  orders  were  to  preserve  peace 
with  him,  still,  as  he  had  so  treacherously  and  repeatedly 
broken  it  with  the  Portuguese,  he  considered  himself  free 
to  declare  war  against  him ;  but,  to  prevent  bloodshed,  he 
gave  the  Dutch  the  option  of  surrendering,  assuring  them 
of  an  honourable  capitulation.  The  Dutch  asked  for 
eight  days  to  consider;  Salvador  Correa  accorded  them 
two,  at  the  end  of  which  he  sent  his  secretary  on  shore, 
with  orders  to  signal  whether  the  Dutch  accepted  his 
terms  or  meant  to  defend  themselves;  they  chose  the 
latter,  and  the  Portuguese  immediately  landed,  and  in- 
vested the  fortress  of  San  Miguel.  The  Dutch  had 
abandoned  six  guns,  these  with  four  others  from  the  ships 
were  the  same  night  planted  on  two  batteries,  and  the 
fortress  bombarded.  This  not  having  the  desired  effect, 
Salvador  Correa  ordered  a  general  attack.  The  Portu- 
guese were,  however,  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  163  men 
killed  and  wounded.  Tiie  Dutch,  unaw^are  of  tliis  great 
loss,  and  expecting  a  secon  1  attack,  hoisted  a  white  flag, 
and  sent  to  arrange  the  terms  of  capitulation,  which  being 
done,  the  gates,  on  the  15th  of  August,  1648,  were  throwu 


BISTORT. 


open,  and  there  issued  forth  1100  Dutch,  German,  and 
French  infantry,  and  as  many  bLacks,  who  were  all  sur- 
prised, on  passing  the  Portuguese  troops,  at  the  smallness 
of  their  number?!,  and  repented  their  hasty  submission. 
Salvador  Correa  sent  them  all  on  board  three  vessels  to 
await  their  countrymen  away  in  the  interior.  On  their 
arrival  these  were  also  placed  on  board,  and  they  set  sail 
the  same  day.  Shortly  after  he  caused  the  Dutch  esta- 
blishments at  Pinda  and  Loango  to  be  demolished,  and 
their  expulsion  being  completed,  he  next  fell  on  and 
defeated  the  native  chiefs. 

"It  was  in  the  time  of  this  Governor  that  the  Italian 
Capuchin  Friars  passed  from  the  kingdom  of  Congo 
to  Loanda,  to  establish  in  the  interior  their  excellent 
missions.  For  several  years  the  Portuguese  waged  a 
constant  war  with  the  Libollos,  the  Quissamas,  the  Soba 
jN'goUa  Caboco,  the  Chiefs  of  Benguella,  and  the  Dembos 
Ambuillas  at  Encoge. 

''In  the  year  1694  the  first  copper  coinage  was  intro- 
duced from  Portugal  into  Angola,  the  currency  up  to 
that  time  being  in  the  shape  of  little  straw  mats  called 
*Libongos,'  of  the  value  of  fifty  reis  each  (about  2d.). 
(These  little  mats  are  at  present  only  employed  as  money 
in  Cabinda.) 

"  In  1758,  the  Portuguese  established  themselves  at 
Encoge.  In  1783,  an  expedition  was  despatched  to  the 
Port  of  Cabinda,  to  establish  a  fort;  300  men,  however, 
quickly  died  there  from  the  effects  of  the  climate,  and 
the  rest  surrendered  to  a  French  squadron,  sent  to  de- 
molish any  fortifications  that  might  impede  the  free 
commerce  of  all  nations  on  the  coast  of  Loango. 

"Shortly  after  1784,  the  Portuguese  had  a  great  war 
with  the  natives  of  Mossulo,  which  lasted  some  five  years 
before  they  were  finally  defeated. 

"It  was  during  the  government,  and  by  the  efforts  of 
Antonio  de  Saldanha  da  Gama  (1807-1810),  that  direct 
intercourse  was  established  with  the  nation  of  the  Moluas, 
and  through  their  intervention  overland  communication 
with  the  eastern  coast  was  obtained. 


10  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

"  The  first  attempt  to  communicate  directly  across  the 
continent,  from  Angola  to  Mo(^aml)ique,  was  made  as 
already  noticed  in  the  j^ear  1003.  Two  expeditions  were 
proposed  to  start  simultaneonsly  from  IMopimhique  and 
Angola,  andjneet  in  the  interior.  The  former,  unler  the 
command  of  the  naturalist,  Dr.  Lacerda,  started  from  the 
River  Senna,  and  reached  Cazembe,  where  Lacerda  fell  a 
victim  to  the  insalubrity  of  the  climate. 

'*  Antonio  de  Saldanha,  anxious  to  realize  a  project  so 
interesting  to  geographical  knowledge,  and  which  he  judged 
might  besides  be  of  great  importance  to  Portugal,  had  re- 
newed the  inquiries  and  investigations  that  might  suggest 
the  means  of  attaining  its  accomplishment.  At  Pungo 
Andongo,  there  lived  one  Francisco  Honorato  da  Costa, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Militia,  a  clever  man,  and  Chief 
of  Cassange,  the  farthest  inland  of  the  Portuguese  vassal 
provinces.  Through  him  Antonio  de  Saldanha  learnt 
tiiat  the  territory  of  the  Jaga,  or  Soba  of  Cassange,  was 
boun  led  to  the  east  by  another  and  more  powerful  king- 
dom, that  of  the  Moluas,  with  whom  the  Jaga  was  in 
constant  intercourse,  but  whom  he  prevented  from  treating 
directly  with  the  Portuguese,  so  as  to  derive  the  great 
advantage  of  monopolizing  all  the  trade  with  the  latter. 
For  this  end  the  Jaga  employed  several  absurd  state- 
ments to  intimidate  the  Muata  Yamba,  or  King  of 
the  Moluas,  whose  power  he  feared,  telling  him  that  the 
Portuguese  (or  white  men)  issued  out  of  the  sea,  that 
they  devoured  negroes,  that  the  goods  he  traded  in  were 
manufactured  in  his  dominions,  and  that  if  the  Moluas 
invaded  these,  the  Portuguese  would  avenge  him. 

"  As  soon  as  the  Governor  was  informed  of  these 
particulars,  he  ordered  Honorato  to  make  himself  ac- 
quainted with  the  position  of  the  nation  of  the  Moluas. 
Honorato  succeeded  in  sending  his  '  Pombeiros '  (black 
traders)  to  their  principal  town,  where  the  JMuata  Yamba 
resided,  and  where  they  were  hos[)itably  received.  Con- 
vinced by  them  of  the  falsehoods  of  the  Jaga  Cassange,  the 
Muata,  though  still  in  fear,  decided  to  send  his  wife,  who 
lived  at  some  distance  oflf,on  an  embassy  to  the  same  effect 


HISTORY.  11 


to  Loanda.  Accoiopanied  by  Honorato's  *  Pombeiros/  the 
embassy,  unable  to  pass  the  territory  of  the  Soba  Cassanp^e, 
through  his  opposition,  proceeded  to  the  country  of  the 
Soba  Bomba,  who  not  only  allowed  them  free  passao^e, 
but  likewise  sent  an  ambassador  to  the  Portuguese.  They 
arrived  in  January,  1808,  at  Loanda,  where  they  were 
received  in  state  by  the  Governor. 

"On  arriving  at  the  door  of  the  audience-room,  they  ad- 
vanced towards  the  General  with  great  antics,  and  delivered 
to  him  the  presents  they  had  brought,  which  consisted  of 
slaves,  a  zebra  skin,  several  skins  of  '  ferocious  monkeys,'  a 
mat,  some  straw  baskets,  two  bars  of  copper,  and  a  sample 
of  salt  from  Cazembe.  After  receiving  the  greatest  hospi- 
tality, thoy  were  sent  back  with  "presents  for  their  re- 
spective sovereigns.  The  ambassadors  wore  long  beards, 
their  heads  adorned  with  a  great  bunch  of  parrots'  feathers, 
grey  and  red,  their  arms  and  legs  covered  with  brass  and 
iron  rings  ;  from  a  large  monkey  skin  twisted  and  hanging 
from  one  shoulder  depended  a  large  knife, — in  their  left 
hand  a  spear,  in  the  right  a  horse's  tail,  as  an  emblem  of 
authority,  and  round  the  waist  a  striped  cloth,  over  which 
liung  a  monkey  skin,  giving  them  altogether  a  very  wild 
and  showy  appearance.  The  *  Pombeiros '  described  the 
Moliias  as  a  somewhat  civilized  nation ;  that  the  *  Banza,* 
or  town  of  the  Muata,  was  laid  out  in  streets  and  shaded 
in  summer,  to  mitigate  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  prevent 
dust ;  that  they  had  a  flour  and  grain  market  for  the 
housing  and  regular  distribution  of  provisions,  and  many 
squares  or  open  spaces  of  large  extent. 

"  The  wife  of  the  Muata  lived  at  a  distance  from  him 
of  thirty  or  forty  leagues,  in  a  country  where  she  reigned 
as  Queen  absolute,  and  only  saw  her  husband  on  certain 
days  in  the  year.  The  executions  in  the  '  Banza'  of  the 
Queen  amount*  d  to  eight,  ten,  and  filteen  blacks  per  day, 
and  it  is  probable  that  in  that  of  the  Muata  the  number 
wjis  not  less.  The  barbarity  of  their  laws,  and  the  want 
of  communications  by  means  of  which  to  get  rid  of  their 
criminals,  was  the  cause  of  this  horrible  number  of 
executions." 


12  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

Feo  Cardozo,  who  expresses  himself  most  strongly 
against  slavery,  here  observes:  "Despite  the  theories  and 
declamation  of  sensitive  minds  led  away  by  false  notions 
of  the  state  of  the  question,  as  long  as  the  barbarity  and 
ignorance  of  the  African  nations  shall  exist,  the  barter 
of  slaves  will  always  be  considered  by  enlightened  philan- 
thropists as  the  only  palliative  to  the  ferocity  of  the  laws 
that  govern  those  nations. 

"  It  was  further  ascertained  from  the  ^  Pombeiros,'  that 
the  nation  of  Cazembe,  where  Dr.  Lacerda  had  di6d,  was 
feudatory  to  the  Muata  Yamba,  and  in  token  of  its  vas- 
salage paid  him  a  yearly  tribute  of  sea  salt,  obtained 
from  the  eastern  coast.  jLhe  possibility  of  communication 
with  the  east  coast  through  the  interior  being  now 
evident,  the  Governor  Saldanha  instructed  the  *  Pom- 
beiros'  to  retrace  their  steps  towards  the  east,  and 
continue  in  that  direction. 

*'  It  was  during  the  succeeding  Governorship  of  Jose 
d'Oliveira  Barboza,  however,  that  the  feasibility  of  such 
communication  was  finally  proved,  for  he  sought  out  a 
black  trader  to  go  to  Mopambique  across  the  interior,  and 
return  by  t)ie  same  route,  bringing  back  answers  from  the 
Governor  of  that  Colony  to  letters  sent  him  from  Loaiida. 
This  fact  added  nothing  to  geographical  knowledge,- from 
the  ignorance  of  the  man  who  accomplished  it. 

"In  1813,  this  Governor  formed  the  plan  of  conveying 
the  waters  of  the  River  Quanza  into  the  city  of  Loanda, 
from  a  distance  of  about  fourteen  leagues,  by  means  of 
a  canal,  which  was  commenced  in  that  year,  and  the 
workings  continued  during  1814  and  1815,  but  abandoned 
after  being  cut  for  a  length  of  3000  fathoms,  on  account 
of  the  difficulties  encountered  for  want  of  a  previous 
survey." 

No  attempt  has  since  been  made  to  supply  the  city 
with  water  from  the  Quanza,  or  from  the  still  nearer 
Eiver  Bengo;  besides  the  great  boon  such  a*Avork  would 
confer  on  the  hot  and  dry  town,  it  could  not  fail  to  be  a 
great  success  from  a  monetary  point  of  view. 


(    13    ) 


CHAPTER  11. 

PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY — CHARACTER  OF  VEGETATI05T  — 
RIVERS, 

The  Portuguese  possegsions  of  Angola  on  the  south-west 
coast  of  Africa  extend  from  Ambriz  in  7°  49'  S.  Lat.  to 
Cape  Frio  in  18°  20'  S.  Lat.  Their  farthest  establish- 
ment soutli  is,  however,  at  Mossamedes,  or  Little  Fish 
Bav,  in  15"  20'  S.  Lat. 

Throughout  this  book  in  speaking  of  Angola  I  include 
not  only  tlie  country  from  Mossamedes  to  Ambriz,  at  pre- 
sent occupied  by  the  Portuguese,  but  farther  north,  as  far 
as  the  Elver  Congo,  that  being  its  strong  natural  limit  of 
climate,  fauna,  and  ethnology,  as  I  shall  further  explain. 

This  long  extent  of  coast  comprises,  as  may  be  readily 
imagined,  considerable  variety  in  geological  formation, 
physical  configuration,  climate,  vegetation,  and  natural 
productions,  tribes  of  natives,  and  different  languages, 
habits,  and  customs. 

The  coast-line  is  nowhere  very  bold ;  level  sandy  bays, 
fringed  with  a  belt  of  the  dark  evergreen  mangrove, 
alternate  with  long  stretches  of  cliffs,  seldom  attaining 
any  great  lieight  or  grandeur,  and  covered  with  a  coarse 
branching  grass  {Eragrostis  sp.),  small  patches  of  shrubby 
scrub,  a  tall  cactus-like  tree  Euphorbia,  and  the  gigantic 
towering  Baobab  with  its  fantastic  long  gourd-like  fruit. 
(Plate  L) 

The  "  Calema,"  or  surf-wave,  with  its  ceaseless  roar, 
breaks  heavily  in  long  white  lines  on  the  smooth  beach, 
and  pulverizes  the  hardest  rock,  and  every  particle  of 
shell  and  animal  structure.  It  dashes  against  the  ba?e  of 
the  cliffs,  resounding  loudly  in  its  mad  fury  as  it  has  done, 
wave  after  wave  and  hour  after  hour,  for  unknown  ages ; 


U       •  ANGOLA  AND  THE  PdVER  CONGO. 

and  the  singular  absence  of  gulls  or  any  moving  living 
objects,  or  noises,  to  divert  the  eye  or  ear  from  the  dread- 
ful monotony  of  constantly  recurring  sound,  and  line  after 
line  of  dazzling  white  foam,  gives  a  distinctive  and  exces- 
sively depressing  character  to  the  coast,  in  harmony,  as 
it  were,  with  the  enervating  influence  of  its  climate. 

Tlie  character  of  tlie  ^Vngolan  landscape  is  entirely 
difierent  trom  that  of  the  West  Coast  proper;  say  from 
Cape  Yerde  to  the  Gaboon  and  the  lUver  Congo.  Along 
that  great  length  of  coast  are  hundreds  of  square  miles  of 
brackish  and  sult-water  lagoons  and  swamps,  level  with 
the  sea,  and  often  only  separated  from  it  by  a  narrow 
mangrove-fringed  beach.  The  bottom  of  these  lagoons  is 
generally  a  soft  deep  black  fetid  mud,  and  a  stick  plunged 
into  it  comes  up  thickly  coveied  with  a  mass  nearly  ap- 
proaching in  appearance  to  paste  blacking.  In  the  dry 
season  great  exj)anses  of  the  bottom  of  these  swamps 
become  partially  dry,  and  fermenting  in  the  hot  tropical 
sun  cause  a  horrible  stench,  from  the  decayed  millions  of 
small  fi.4i,  crabs,  ka.,  left  ex[)osed  on  the  surface.  The 
number  of  fish  and  some  of  the  lower  forms  of  life  in- 
habiting the  mud  and  water  of  the  lagoons  is  almost  in- 
credible. If  one  keeps  quite  still  for  a  few  minutes,  the 
slimy  ground  becomes  perfectly  abve  and  hissing  from 
the  legions  of  small  brightly  coloured  land  crabs  that  issue 
simultaneously  from  thousands  of  round  holes,  from  the 
size  of  a  quill  to  about  an  inch  and  a-half  in  diameter. 

It  is  in  these  gigantic  hotbeds  of  decomposition  that  the 
deadly  types  of  African  fever  are,  I  believe,  mostly  gene- 
rated ;  and  these  pest  waters  and  mud,  when  swept  into 
the  rivers  by  the  floods  in  the  rainy  season,  are  carried 
far  and  wide,  with  what  effect  to  human  life  on  that  coast 
it  is  needless  to  mention. 

On  those  parts  of  the  West  Coast  where  level  swampy 
■ground  is  not  the  rule,  a  most  agreeable  change  is  seen  in 
the  character  of  the  landscape,  although,  perhaps,  the 
climate  is  just  as  unhealthy.  Drenched  constantly  by 
pelting  thunderstorms,  and  drizzling  mists  that  roll  down 
from  the  high  lands  and  mountain-tops,  the  country  is 


PHYSICAL  GEOGEAPEY 


covered  by  the  most  luxuriant  forest  vegGtation,  in  one 
exi)anse  of  the  deepest  unvarying  green,  the  combiiied 
result  of  excessive  moisture  and  the  tropical  sun  of  an 
almost  uninterrupted  summer. 

This  alternation  of  swamp  and  dense  forest  ends  com- 
pletely on  arriving  at  the  River  Congo,  and  a  total  change 
to  the  com])aratively  arid  country  of  Angola  takes  place  ; 
in  fact,  at  about  13^  S.  Lat.  it  becomes  almost  a  perfectly 
arid,  rocky,  and  sandy  desert. 

I  may  say  that,  without  exception,  from  the  River  Congo 
to  Mossamedes  no  dense  forest  is  seen  irom  the  sea,  and 
irom  thence  not  a  single  tree,  it  is  said,  for  hundreds  of 
miles  to  the  Orange  River.  A  little  mangrove,  lining  the 
insigniticaut  rivers  and  low  places  in  their  vicinity,  is  all 
that  varies  the  open  scrub,  of  which  the  giant  Adansonias 
and  Euphorbias  have  taken,  as  it  were,  exclusive  posses- 
sion. Nowhere  on  the  coast  is  seen  more  than  an  indi- 
cation of  the  wonderful  vegetation,  or  varied  beauty  and 
fertility,  which  generally  begins  at  a  distance  of  from 
thirty  to  sixty  miles  inland. 

At  this  distance,  a  ridge  or  hilly  range  runs  along  the 
Avhole  length  of  Angola,  forming  the  first  elevation;  a 
second  elevation  succeeds  it  at  about  an  equal  distance ; 
and  a  third,  at  perhaps  twice  the  distance  again,  lands 
us  on  thetcentral  high  plateau  of  Africa. 

From  the  few  and  insignificant  streams  traversing 
Angola  to  the  coast,  which  at  most  only  reach  safh- 
ciently  far  inland  to  have  their  source  at  this  third  eleva- 
tion or  central  plateau,  it  would  seem  that  a  great  central 
depression  or  fall  drains  the  waters  of  that  part  of  Africa 
in  either  an  easterly  or  southerly  direction. 

1  think  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  the  Congo,  with  its 
vast  body  of  water  and  rapid  current,  drains  any  large 
extent  of  country  in  an  easterly  direction  to  the  interior, 
beyond  the  first  rapids.  The  gradual  elevation  from  the 
coast  to  the  ridge  beyond- which  the  central  plateau  begins, 
and  from  which  the  streams  that  drain  Angola  seem  to 
have  their  source,  may  have  been  formed  by  the  upheaval 
of  the   country   by  volcanic   action.     Of  this  there   is 


16  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

evidence  in  the  trachytes  and  basalts  of  Cambambe  and 
the  country  to  the  south  of  Benguella,  which  form  an 
anticlinal  axis  running  the  whole  length  of  Angola,  and 
thus  prevent  the  drainage  of  the  interior  to  the  sea  on 
this  part  of  the  coast. 

These  successive  elevations  inland  are  accompanied  by 
very  remarkable  changes  in  the  character  of  the  vegetation 
covering  the  surface  of  the  country,  and  in  my  several 
excursions  and  explorations  to  the  interior  from  Ambriz 
to  Bembe,  from  Loanda  to  the  Pungo  Andongo  range, 
from  Novo  Bedondo  to  Mucelis,  and  to  the  interior  of 
Benguella  and  Mossamedes,  I  have  had  frequent  oppor- 
tunities of  remarking  these  very  singular  and  sudden 
changes.  These  are  due,  I  believe,  as  Dr.  Welwitsch 
has  pointed  out,  to  the  difference  of  elevation  alone, 
irrespective  of  its  geological  formation. 

A  sketchr  of  the  vegetation  of  the  country  traversed  by 
the  road  from  Ambriz  to  Bembe,  where  is  situated  the 
wonderful  deposit  of  malachite, — a  distance  of  about  120 
miles  E.N.E. — will  give  an  idea  of  the  general  character 
of  the  change  observed  in  travelling  towards  the  interior 
of  Angola.  For  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Ambriz 
the  vegetation  is,  as  already  described,  principally  com- 
posed of  enormous  Baobabs,  Euphorbias,  a  tall  Agave 
(or  aloe),  a  tree  called  *•  Muxixe  "  by  the  natkes,  bear- 
ing curious  seed-pods  (StereuUa  tomentosa),  a  few  small 
slender  creepers,  great  abundance  of  the  Sanseviera 
Angolensis  in  ttie  thickets  of  prickly  bushes,  and 
coarse  short  tufty  grasses, — the  branching  grass  being 
only  found  near  the  coast  for  a  few  miles.  The  country 
is  pretty  level,  dry,  and  stony,  of  weathered  large-grained 
gneiss.  At  Matuta  the  scene  suddenly  and  magically 
changes,  and  in  so  striking  a  manner  as  to  impress  even 
the  most  unobservant  traveller.  The  Baobabs  become 
much  fewer  in  number,  the  Agaves,  the  Sanseviera,  the 
Euphorbias,  suddenly  and  almost  completely  disappear,  as 
also  do  most  of  the  prickly  shrubs,  the  fine  trailing  and 
creeping  plants,  the  Muxixe,  and  several  other  trees,  qjid 
a  number  of  smaller  plants.     A  new  set  of  larger,  shadier 


PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY.  lY 

trees  and  shrubs  take  their  place,  the  grass  becomes  tall 
and  broad-leaved,  and  one  seems  to  be  travelling  in  an 
entirely  new  country. 

This  character  is  preserved  for  another  stretch  of  road 
till  Quiballa  is  reached,  about  sixty  miles  from  the 
coast,  where  the  rise  in  level  is  more  marked;  and 
again  the  vegetation  changes,  almost  as  lemarkably  as  at 
Matuta,  where,  however,  the  difference  in  altitude  is  not 
so  sudden,  but  a  gradual  rise  is  noticed  all  the  way  from 
Ambriz.  Creepers  of  all  kinds,  attaining  a  gigantic  size, 
here  almost  monopolize  the  vegetation,  clasping  round 
the  biggest  trees,  and  covering  them  with  a  mass  of  foliage 
and  flower,  and  forming  most  exquisite  festoons  and 
curtains  as  they  web,  as  it  were,  one  tree  to  another  in 
their  embrace.  No  words  can  describe  the  luxuriance  of 
these  tree  creepers,  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
shallow  rivers  and  rivulets  of  the  interior.  Several  trees 
together,  covered  from  top  to  bottom  with  a  rich  mantle 
of  the  India-rubber  creeper  (Landolj^hia  florida  ?),  Avith 
bright,  large  dark-green  leaves  somewhat  resembling  those 
of"  tlie  magnolia,  thickly  studded  with  large  bunches  of 
purest  white  jasmine-like  flowers,  loading  the  air  for  a 
considerable  distance  with  its  powerful  bitter-almond  per- 
fume, and  attracting  a  cloud  of  buzzing  insects,  form  alto- 
gether a  sight  noL  easily  forgotten.  Once  at  Bembe  I 
saw  a  perfect  wall  or  curtain  formed  by  a  most  delicate 
creeper,  hung  from  top  to  bottom  with  bottle-brush-like 
flowers  about  three  inches  long ; — but  the  grandest  view 
presented  to  my  eyes  was  in  the  Pungo  Andongo  range, 
where  the  bottom  of  a  narrow  valley,  for  quite  half  a  mile 
in  length,  was  filled,  as  they  all  are  in  the  interior,  by  a 
dense  forest  of  high  trees;  the  creepers,  in  search  of 
light,  had  pierced  through  and  spread  on  the  top,  where 
their  stems  and  leaves  had  become  woven  and  matted  into 
a  thick  carpet  on  which  their  flowers  were  produced  in 
such  profubiun  that  hardly  a  leaf  was  visible,  but  only  one 
long  >ea  of  beautiful  purple,  like  a  glacier  of  colour — tilling 
the  valley  and  set  in  the  frame  of  green  of  the  luxuriant 
grass-covered  hill  sides.      The  very  blacks  that  accom- 

c 


18  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

panied  me,  so  little  impressed  as  they  are  usually  by  the 
beauties  of  nature,  beat  their  open  mouths  with  the  palm 
of  the  hand  as  tbey  uttered  short  "  Ah  !  ah !  ahs !"  their 
universal  mode  of  expressing  astonishment  or  delight,  so 
wonderful,  even  to  them,  appeared  the  magnificent  mass  of 
colour  below  us  as  it  suddenly  came  in  view  when  we 
arrived  at  the  head  of  the  valley,  down  one  side  of  which 
we  descended  to  the  plain  below. 

I  have  seen  the  surface  of  a  large  pool  of  water  thickly 
covered  with  a  layer  of  purple  pea-shaped  flowers,  fallen 
from  the  large  Wistaria-like  bunches  of  blossom  of  a 
creeper  overgrowing  a  mass  of  trees  standing  at  the  edge : 
it  seemed  as  if  Nature,  loth  that  so  much  beauty  should 
fade  quickly,  had  kept  for  some  time  longer  the  fallen 
flowers  fresh  and  lovely  on  the  cool  still  water  of  the  shady 
lake.  This  abundance  of  creeping  plants  is  more  or  kss 
preserved  till  at  about  sixty  miles  farther  inland  we  arrive 
at  Bembe  and  the  comparatively  level  country  stretching 
away  to  the  interior ;  the  oil-palm  {Elseis  Guineensis)  then 
becomes  again  abundant,  these  trees  being  only  found  on 
the  coast  in  any  number  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rivers;  the 
beautiful  feathery  papyrus  also  again  covers  the  Idgoons 
and  wet  places. 

The  comparatively  short  and  spare  thin-leaved  and 
delicate  tufted  grasses  of  the  first  or  littoral  region  are 
succeeded  in  the  second,  as  I  have  already  said,  by 
much  stronger  kinds,  attaining  an  extraordinary  develop- 
ment in  the  highest  or  third  region.  Gigantic  grasses 
from  five  to  as  much  as  sixteen  feet  high,  growing 
Inxuriantl}^,  cover  densely  the  vast  plains  and  tracts 
of  country  in  these  two  regions  where  tree  vegetation  is 
scarce.  The  edges  of  the  blades  of  most  of  these  tall 
grasses  are  so  stiff  and  finely  and  strongly  serrated  as  to 
be  quite  sharp,  and  if  passed  quickly  over  the  skin  will 
cause  a  deep  cut,  as  clean  as  if  done  with  a  knife ;  one 
species  is  called  by  the  natives  "  Capim  de  faca "  in 
Portuguese,  or  *'  knife  grass,"  from  the  manner  in  which 
it  cuts  if  handled,  or  in  going  through  it. 

I  have  often  had  my  hands  bleeding^  from  cuts  inflicted 


PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY.  19 

by  this  grass  when  in  going  down  steep,  dry,  slippery 
places  I  have  clutched  at  the  high  grass  on  each  side  of 
me  to  prevent  falling.  To  any  one  accustomed  to  grass 
only  a  lew  inches  high,  the  dimensions  that  these  species 
attain  are  simply  incredible.  Like  snow  and  ice  in 
northern  latitudes,  grasses  in  interior  tropical  Africa  for 
some  six  months  in  the  year  take  undisputed  possession 
of  the  country  and  actually  interrupt  all  communication 
in  many  places. 

It  is  a  very  strange  feeling  when  travelling  in  a  ham- 
mock, to  be  forced  through  grass  so  dense  and  so  high 
that  nothing  but  the  sky  above  can  be  seen, — a  wall 
of  dry  rustling  leaves  on  each  side  shutting  out  all 
view  sometimes  for  mile  after  mile,  and  so  intensely 
hot  and  breathless  as  to  be  almost  unbearable,  causing 
the  perspiration  to  run  in  drops  off  the  wet,  shining, 
varnished  skins  of  the  almost  naked  blacks.  In  going 
through  places  where  the  grass  has  nearly  choked  up 
all  signs  of  a  path,  it  is  necessary  to  send  in  advance 
all  the  blacks  of  the  party,  so  as  to  open  aside  and 
widen  it  sufficiently  to  allow  the  traveller  in  his  hammock 
to  be  carried  and  pushed  through  the  dense  high  mass: 
even  if  there  be  a  moderate  breeze  blowing  it  is,  of 
course,  completely  shut  out;  the  _persi)iration  from  the 
negroes  is  wiped  on  the  grass  aslliey  push  through 
it,  now  shoving  it  aside  with  their  hands  and  arms, 
now  forcing  their  way  through  it  backwards,  and  it  is 
most  disagreeable  to  have  the  wetted  leaves  constantly 
slapping  one's  face  and  hands,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
horrible  stink  from  their  steaming  bodies.  It  is  a  power- 
ful odour,  and  the  quiet  hot  air  becomes  so  impregnated 
with  it  as  to  be  nearly  overpowering.  It  is  difficult  to 
compare  it  with  any  other  disagreeable  animal  smell; 
it  is  different  from  that  of  the  white  race,  and  the  nearest 
comparison  I  can  give  is  a  mixture  of  putrid  onions  and 
rancid  butter  well  rubbed  on  an  old  billy-goat.  In  some 
it  is  a  great  deal  worse  than  in  others,  but  none,  men  or 
women,  are  free  from  it,  even  when  their  bodies  are  at 
rest  or  not  sensibly  perspiring;  and  it  being  a  natural  se- 

c  2 


20  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

cretion  of  the  skin,  of  course  no  amount  of  washing  oi 
clean h'ness  will  remove  it.  The  mulattoes,  again,  have  it, 
but  different,  and  not  generally  so  strong  as  the  pure 
black,  and  with  a  more  acid  odour,  reminding  one  stron<rly 
of  the  caprylic  and  similar  acids  known  to  chemists.  The 
natives  themselves  naturally  do  not  notice  it,  and  after 
some  time  of  residence  in  the  country,  except  in  very 
powerful  cases,  strangers  become  comparatively  accus- 
tomed to  it,  and,  as  showing  how  a  person  may  in  time 
become  used  to  nastiness,  T  have  even  partaken  of  a  dish  in 
whifh  were  some  forcemeat  balls  tliat  I  had  previously 
watched  the  negro  cook  roll  with  the  palm  of  his  hand 
on  his  naked  stomach,  to  make  them  of  a  proper  round 
shape,  without  spoiling  my  appetite  or  preventing  me 
from  joining  in  the  deserved  praise  of  the  stew  that  con- 
tained them. 

The  Portuguese  and  Brazilians  call  the  smell  that 
exhales  from  the  bodies  of  the  blacks  "Catinga,"  and 
I  witnessed  an  amusing  instance  of  its  effect  on  a  dog, 
when  it  smelt  it  for  the  first  time.  On  my  second  voyage 
to  Angola,  I  took  with  me  a  beautiful  "  perdigueiro," 
or  Portuguese  pointer,  from  Lisbon ;  this  animal  had 
evidently  never  smelt  a  negro  before  our  arrival  at  11  ha 
do  Principe  (Prince's  Island)  ;  for,  on  two  of  the  blacks 
from  the  custom-house  boat  coming  on  the  poop,  it 
began  sniffing  the  air  at  some  distance  from  where  they 
were  standing,  and  carefully  and  slowly  approached  them 
with  its  neck  and  nose  at  full  stretch,  with  a  look  on 
its  intelligent  face  of  the  greatest  curiosity  and  surprise. 
On  approaching  within  three  or  four  yards,  the  smell 
of  the  blacks,  who  kept  quite  still,  being  afraid  it  might 
bite  them,  seemed  too  much  for  its  sensitive  nose, 
and  it  sneezed  and  looked  perfectly  disgusted.  It  con- 
tinued to  approach  them  and  sneeze  and  retreat  repeat- 
edly for  some  little  time,  evidently  unable  to  get  used  to 
the  poweriul  perfume.  The  poor  dog's  unmistakeable 
expression  of  thorough  dislike  to  the  odour  of  the  black 
race  was  most  comical. 

An  old  Brazilian  mule  that  I  had  at  Benguella  could 


PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY.  21 

not  bear  the  blacks  to  saddle  her  or  put  her  bridle 
and  head-gear  on;  she  would  throw  back  her  ears,  and 
suddenly  make  a  snap  with  her  teeth  at  the  black  who 
attempted  it.  She  was  a  very  tame  animal,  and  would  be 
perfectly  quiet  to  a  white  man.  She  had  been  seventeen 
years  in  Benguella  before  she  came  into  my  possession,  but 
never  became  used  to  negroes;  whether  she  disliked  them 
from  their  disagreeable  odour,  or  from  some  other  reason, 
I  could  not  discover ;  but  judging  from  the  dog's  decided 
antipathy,  I  presume  their  smell  was  her. principal  objec- 
tion, and  yet  it  is  very  singular  that  wild  animals  in  Africa 
will  scent  a  white  sooner  than  a  black  hunter.  I  have 
heard  this  from  many  persons  in  Angola,  both  blacks  and 
whites.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  our  hunters  at 
the  Cape  have  noticed  the  same  thing.  The  fact  that, 
notwithstanding  the  "Catinga,"  black  hunters  can  lie  in 
ambush,  and  antelope  and  other  game  come  so  close  to  them 
that  they  can  fire  the  whole  charge  of  their  flint  muskets, 
wadding  and  all,  into  them,  is  well  known  in  Angola. 

Whilst  exploring  for  minerals  in  Cambambe,  I  was 
prevented  for  a  long  time  from  visiting  several  localities, 
from  the  paths  to  them  being  choked  up  with  grass. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  exhausting  it  is  to  push 
through  thick,  high  grass;  in  a  very  short  time  one  be- 
comes completely  out  of  breath,  and  the  arms  hang  power- 
less with  tUe  exertion  :  the  heat  and  suffocating  stillness 
of  the  air  may  have  as  much  to  do  with  this  as  the  amount 
of  force  exerted  to  push  aside  the  yielding,  rustling  mass. 

Shortly  after  the  rains  cease  in  May,  tiie  grass,  iiaving 
flowered  and  attained  its  full  growth,  rapidly  dries  up 
under  the  hot  sun,  and  is  then  set  on  fire  by  the  blacks, 
forming  the  wonderful  "  Queimadas,"  literally  *'  burnings," 
of  the  Portuguese,  and  "  smokes  "  of  the  Eno;li8h  in  the 
Bights.  If  only  the  leaves  are  sufficiently  dry  to  catch 
fire,  the  stems  are  left  green,  with  a  black  ring  at  every 
joint  or  base  of  the  leaf,  and  the  mass  of  whip-like  stems 
then  looks  like  a  forest  of  long  porcupine  quills.  This  is 
very  disagreeable  to  travel  through,  as  the  half-burnt 
sterna  spring  back  and  cross  in  every  direction  behind  the 


22  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

front  bearer  of  the  hammock,  and  poke  into  the  traveller's 
face,  and  thrash  the  hands  when  held  up  to  save  the 
eyes  from  injury,  and  after  a  day's  journey  one  ^ets  quite 
black,  with  eyes  and  throat  sore  and  parched  Jrom  the 
charcoal  dust  and  fine  alkaline  ash. 

When  Ihcvgrass  has  become  thoroughly  dry,  the  efiect 
of  the  "  Queimada  "  is  indescribably  grand  and  striking.  In 
the  daytime  the  line  of  fire  is  marked  by  a  long  cloud  of 
beautiful  white  steam-like  smoke  curling  slowly  up,  dense 
and  high  in  the  breathless  air,  in  the  most  fantastic  forms 
against  the  clear  blue  sky.  This  cloud  of  smoke  is  closely 
accompanied  by  a  perfect  flock  of  rapacious  birds  of  every 
size  and  description,  from  the  magnificent  eagle  to  the 
smallest  hawk,  circling  and  sailing  high  and  grandly  in 
the  air,  and  now  and  then  swooping  down  upon  the 
unfortunate  rats,  mice,  and  small  animals,  snakes,  and 
other  reptiles,  burnt  and  left  exposed  by  the  conflagration. 

Near  the  blazing  grass  the  scene  is  very  fine,  a  deafening 
noise  is  heard  as  of  thousands  of  pistol  shots,  caused  by 
the  imprisoned  air  bursting  every  joint  of  the  long 
stems,  and  the  loud  rush  and  crackling  of  the  high  sheet 
of  flame,  as  it  catches  and  consumes  the  dry  upright 
straw.  One  is  inspired  with  awe  and  a  feeling  of  puny  in- 
significance before  the  irresistible  march  of  the  flames 
that  are  rapidly  destroying  the  enormous  extent  of  the 
dense,  nearly  impenetrable  mass  of  vegetation  covering 
the  surface  of  the  country,  leaving  it  peifectly  bare  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  charred  root  stumps.of  grass^  and  a 
few  stunted,  scorched  shrubs  and  trees.  At  night  the 
effect  is  wonderfully  fine  :  the  vast  wall  of  fiie  is  seen  over 
hill  and  valley,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach;  above  the 
brilliant  leaping  flames,  so  bright  in  the  clear  atmosphere 
of  the  tropical  night,  vast  bodies  of  red  sparks  are  shot  up 
hi<ih  into  the  cloud  of  smoke,  which  is  of  the  most  magni- 
ficent lurid  hue  from  the  reflection  of  the  grand  blaze 
below. 

No  trees  or  shrubs  are  consumed  by  the  burning  of  the 
grasses,  everything  of  a  larger  growth  being  too  green 
to  take  fire;  a  whitening  or  drying  of  the  leaves  is  generally 


PHYSICAL  GEOOHAPIIY.  23 

the  only  effect  even  where  tlie  llglit  annual  creepers 
growing  on  them  have  been  consumed.  Forest  or  jungle 
in  Angola,  unlike  other  countries,  never  burns,  and  is 
consequently  the  refuge  of  .all  the  larger  animals  and 
birds  from  the  "  Queimadas,"  which  are  undoubtedly  the 
cause  iu  ^nany  parts  of  Angola  of  the  great  scarcity  of 
animal  and  insect  life  which  so  strikes  a  traveller  expecting 
to  meet  everywhere  the  great  abundance  known  to  exist 
in  the  interior. 

Great  is  the  alarm  of  the  natives  on  the  near  approach 
of  these  fires  fo  their  towns,  the  whole  population 
turning  out,  and  with  branches  of  trees  beating  out  the 
fire.  It  is  seldom,  however,  that  their  huts  are  consumed, 
as  the  villages  are  generally  situated  in  places  where 
trees  and  shrubs  abound,  and  the  different  huts  are  mostly 
separated  by  hedges  of  different  species  of  Euphorbiacea?. 
Many  vilhiges  are  entirely  surrounded  by  a  thick  belt 
of  these  milky-juiced  plants,  effectually  guarding  them 
from  any  chance  of  fire  from  the  grass  outside.  Where 
the  huts  are  not  thus  protected,  the  danger,  of  course, 
is  very  great,  but  the  natives  sometimes  take  the  pre- 
caution of  setting  fire  to  patches  of  the  grass  to  clear  a 
space  around  the  huts  or  village.  There  is  no  danger  in 
travelling  from  these  grass  fires,  for,  when  they  are  seen 
approaching,  their  rate  of  progress  being  slow,  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  set  fire  to  the  dry  grass  to  leeward  to  clear  a 
space  in  which  to  encamp  in  safety. 

The  change  in  vegetation  is  also  accompanied  by 
difference  of  climate,  but  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  they 
react  on  each  other,  and  if  so,  in  what  proportion.  The 
rains  are  very  much  more  abundant  and  constant  towards 
the  interior  of  the  country,  where  the  vegetation  is 
densest:  on  the  coast  the  rains  are  generally  very 
deficient,  and  some  seasons  entirely  fail;  this  is  more 
especially  the  case  south  of  about  12°  Lat.,  several  suc- 
cessive rainy  seasons  passing  without  a  single  drop  of  rain 
falling.  A  three  years'  drought  in  the  interior  of  Loanda 
is  still  vividly  remembered,  the  inhabitants,  from  their 
improvident  habits,  perishing  miserably  by  thousands  from , 


24  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

starvation.  In  my  mining  explorations  at  Benguella  I 
was  at  Cuio  under  a  cloudless  sky  for  twenty-six  months, 
in  the  years  1863  and  1864,  with  hardly  a  drop  of  water 
falling'. 

I  had  under  my  charge  at  that  time  twenty-four  white 
men,  and  between  400  and  600  blacks  at  work  on  a 
copper  deposit,  mining  and  carrying  ore  to  the  coast, 
distant  about  four  miles;  and  no  one  accustomed  to  a 
constant  sujiply  of  water,  can  imagine  the  anxiety  and 
work  I  had  to  go  through  to  obtain  the  necessary  amount 
for  that  large  number  of  thirsty  people,  very  often  barely 
sufficient  for  drinking  purposes  ;  no  water  fit  for  drinking 
or  cooking  was  to  be  had  nearer  than  six  miles,  and  as  no 
bullock  carts  could  be  employed,  it  had  all  to  be  carried 
in  kegs  on  men's  shoulders,  and  by  a  troop  of  the  most 
miserable,  small,  idiotically  stubborn  donkeys  that  can 
be  imagined  from  the  Cape  de  Yerde  Islands.  It  ^vas 
impossible  always  to  be  looking  after  the  blacks  told  off 
daily  on  water  duty,  and  words  cannot  express  the  annoy- 
ance and  vexation  that  the  rascals  constantly  caused  us, 
by  getting  drunk  on  the  road,  wilfully  damaging  the 
kegs,  selling  the  water  to  natives  on  their  way  back, 
bringing  the  filthiest  water  out  of  muddy  pools  instead  of 
clear  from  the  proper  place,  sleeping  on  the  road,  and 
keeping  all  waiting,  sometimes  Avithout  a  drop  of  water, 
very  often  till  far  into  the  night.  This  was  no  joke  when, 
we  were  thirsty,  hungry,  dusty,  and  tired,  after  a  hot  day's 
work  blasting  rock,  breaking  up  copper  ore  in  the  sun  at 
the  mine  in  the  bottom  of  a  circular  valley,  where  the 
little  air  above  seldom  reached,  and  where  the  dazzling 
white  sand  and  gneiss  rock,  bare  of  nearly  all  vegetation, 
reflected  and  intensified  the  glare  and  heat  almost 
unbearably  in  the  hot  season. 

In  going  from  north  to  south  the  character  of  the  vege- 
tation changes  very  insensibly  from  the  River  Congo  to 
Mossamedes.  As  far  as  Ambrizzette  the  Mateba  palm 
(Hyphcene  Guineensis)  is  very  abundant.  This  palm-tree, 
unlike  the  oil-palm,  which  is  only  found  near  water,  or  in 
rich  soil,  grows  on  the  dry  cliffs  and  country  of  the  littoral 


PHYSICAL  GEOQBAFHY,  25 

region  yery  abundantly  as  far  as  about  Ambriz.  The 
leaves  of  this  palm-tree  are  employed  to  make  small  bags, 
in  which  most  of  the  ground  nuts  are  exported  from  the 
coast.  The  Cashew-tree  (Anacardium  occidentale)  grows  on 
this  part  of  the  coast  from  Congo  to  Ambrizzette  still  more 
abundantly,  in  many  places  there  being  hardly  any  other 
tree  or  shrub  ;  it  is  also  very  plentiful  again  around  Loanda, 
bnt  to  the  south  it  nearly  disappears.  A  thin  stemmy 
Euphorbia,  nearly  leafless,  is  a  principal  feature  of  the 
landscape  about  Loanda,  and  gives  it  a  very  dull  and 
arid  appearance.  The  cactus-like,  upright  Euphorbia  is 
a  notable  characteristic  of  the  whole  coast  of  Angola. 

South  of  Benguella  the  country  is  extremely  arid,  the 
gneis-J.,  gypsum,  and  basalt,  of  which  it  is  principally  com- 
posed, appearing  only  to  afford  nourishment  to  a  very 
limited  vegetation,  both  in  number  or  species,  principally 
spiny  trees  and  shrubs  with  numbers  of  dreadful  recurved 
prickles,  nearly  bare  of  leaves  a  great  part  of  the  year, — 
and  over  immense  tracts  of  very  uneven  ground  even 
these  are  scarce :  only  the  gigantic  Euphorbias,  and  the 
stunted  roots  of  grass  sparingly  distributed,  break  the 
monotony  of  a  silent,  dry,  rocky  desert. 

A  yery  curious  creeper,  a  species  of  Cas.sytha,  is  ex- 
tremely abundant  in  Benguella,  covering  the  shrubs  and 
small  trees  closely  with  its  network  of  leafless  string-like 
stems.  The  Sanseviera  Angolensis  is  very  plentiful  all 
over  the  littoral  region  of  Angola ;  the  flat-leaved  species 
{8.  longiflora)  is  only  noticed  north  from  Ambriz  to  Congo, 
and  only  growing  very  near  the  sea :  the  8.  Angolensis  is 
but  rarely  seen  with  it,  and  it  is  very  curious  how  dis- 
tinctly these  two  species  are  separated.  In  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  all  the  rivers  and  streams  of  Angola  the 
vegetation  is,  as  might  be  expected,  generally  very  luxu- 
riant, particularly  north  of  Benguella. 

The  total  absence  of  horned  cattle  among  the  natives 
on  the  coast,  from  the  Kiver  Congo  to  south  of  tlie 
Kiver  Quanza,  is  very  remarkable;  due,  I  believe,  as 
much  to  some  influence  of  climate,  or  poisonous  or  irritant 
nature  of  the  vegetation,  as  to  the  neglect  of  the  natives 


20  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

to  breed  them,  though  a  few  small  herds  of  cattle  to  be 
seen  at  Ambrizzette  and  Quissembo  belonging  to  the 
Avhite  traders,  and  brought  by  the  natives  i'ar  from  tlie 
interior,  appear  to  thrive  very  well,  and  several  Portu- 
guese have  bred  fine  herds  at  the  Kiver  Loge,  about  three 
miles  from  Ambiiz;  they  would  not  thrive,  however,  at 
Bern  be,  where  those  that  were  purcliased  from  the  ivory 
caravans  from  the  interior  gradually  became  thin  and 
died.  The  natives  south  of  the  Quanza  beyond  the  Quis- 
sama  country,  as  far  as  Mossamrdes,  breed  large  numbers 
of  cattle — their  principal  wealth,  in  fact,  consisting  of 
tlieir  herds.  The  district  of  Loanda  cannot  supply  itself 
with  cattle  sufficient  for  its  moderate  consumption,  a 
large  proportion  having  to  be  brought  from  Cambambe 
and  Pungo  Andongo,  and  even  much  farther  from  the 
interior. 

South  of  the  Congo  there  is  only  one  navigable  river, 
the  Quanza,  in  9°  20'  S.,  and  even  the  bar  and  mouth  of 
this  are  shifty,  and  so  shallow  as  only  to  admit  vessels 
drawing  not  more  than  five  or  six  feet  of  water,  and  this 
only  at  high  tides.  The  Kivers  Dande  and  Bengo  are 
only  navigable  by  barges  for  a  few  miles  ;  others,  such  as 
the  Ambrizzette,  Loge,  Novo  Pcdondo,  Quicombo,  Egito, 
Anha,  Catumbella,  and  Luache,  barely  admit  the  entrance 
of  a  canoe,  and  their  bars  are  often  closed  for  a  consider- 
able time  in  the  dry  season  ;  the  beds  of  others  are  com- 
pletely dried  up  for  miles  inland  at  that  time  of  the  year, 
and  it  is  very  curious  to  see  the  level  sandy  bed  without 
water  between  the  luxuriant  and  creeper-covered  banks, 
and  the  borders  of  sedge  and  grass. 

Although  dry  on  the  surface,  cool  delicious  water  is  met 
with  at  a  few  inches  below.  I  shall  never  forget,  on  my 
first  journey  into  Cambambe,  the  haste  with  which  we 
puslied  forward,  on  an  intensely  hot  morning,  in  order  to 
arrive  at  the  Eiver  Mucozo,  a  small  stream  running  into 
the  Quanza.  We  had  encamped  the  night  before  at  a 
place  where  only  a  small  supply  of  water  was  to  be  had 
from  a  filthy  and  muddy  hole,  and  so  thick  and  ochrey 
was  it  that,  even  after  boiling  and  straining,  it  was  nearly 


rnrsTCAL  geograpet.  27 

iindrinkable  ;  on  reaching  the  high  bank^  t)f  the  Mucozo, 
great  was  my  disappointment  to  see  the  bed  of  the 
river  one  long  expanse  of  dry  sand  shining  in  the  hot  sun, 
and  my  hope  of  water,  as  I  thought,  gone !  Not  so  the 
blacks,  who  raised  a  loud  shout  as  they  caught  sight  of  it, 
dashed  in  a  race  down  the  banks,  and  throwing  them- 
selves on  the  sand  quickly  scooped  out  a  hole  about 
six  inches  deep  with  their  hands,  and  lying  flat  on  their 
bellies  stuck  their  faces  in  it,  and  seemed  never  to  finish 
drinking  to  their  hearts' content  the  inexpre.'^sibly  refresh- 
ing, cool,  filtered  water.  After  having  only  dirty  and  thick 
water  to  drink,  not  improved  by  coffee  or  bad  rum,  after 
a  long,  hot  day's  journey,  tired  and  exhausted,  the  ground 
for  a  bed,  mosquitoes,  and  a  smoky  fire  on  each  side  to 
keep  them  off,  fleas  and  other  biting  things  from  the  sand, 
that  nip  and  sting  but  are  not  seen  or  caught,  snatches  of 
sleep,  feverish  awakening  in  the  morning,  with  parched 
mouth,  the  perspiration  dried  on  the  face  and  skin,  gritty 
and  crystallized  and  salt  to  the  feel  and  taste,  no  water 
to  drink  or  wash  with,  the  sun  out  and  shining  strong 
again  almost  as  soon  as  it  is  daylight,  and  hurry,  hurry, 
through  dry  grass  and  sand  without  a  breath  of  air,  and 
Avith  the  thermometer  at  90°  in  the  shade,  for  four  or  five 
hours  before  we  reached  the  Mucozo — it  was  no  wonder  I 
was  disinclined  to  move  from  the  place  till  the  afternoon 
came,  and  the  great  heat  of  the  day  was  passed  ;  or  that  I 
thought  the  water,  fresh  and  cold  from  its  clean  sandy  bed, 
the  most  delicious  drink  that  could  be  imaginefl  ! 

The  delight  of  a  drink  of  pure  cold  water  in  hot  climates 
has  over  and  over  again  been  described  by  all  travellers, 
but  it  is  impossible  to  realize  it  fully  without  experiencing 
the  sensations  that  precede  and  cause  the  thirst  that  only 
cold  water  seems  to  satisfy. 

The  liiver  Luache,  at  Dombe  Grande,  near  the  sea,  in 
the  province  of  Benguella,  is  dry  for  some  miles  inland 
every  year,  and  its  bed  of  pure,  clean,  deep  sand  is  as 
much  as  half  a  mile  broad  at  that  place.  Tlie  first  great 
rains  in  the  interior  generally  come  down  the  dry  beds  of 
these  rivers  suddenly,  like  a  great  torrent  or  wave,  and  I 


28  ANGOLA  AND  THE  UIVER  CONGO. 

was  fortunate  enough  to  be  at  Dombe  Grande  once  when 
the  water  came  down  the  Luache  from  the  interior.  It 
was  a  grand  sight  to  see  a  wave  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
river,  and  I  shor.ld  judge  about  eight  feet  high,  driving 
befoie  and  carrying  with  it  an  immense  mass  of  trees  and 
branches,  roots,  sedges,  and  grasses  all  confused  and  rol- 
ling irresistibly  to  the  sea,  with  a  dull  rushing  roar,  quite 
unlike  the  noise  one  would  imagine  a  body  of  water  to 
make,  but  more  like  a  rush  of  rocks  down  a  mountain  in 
the  distance;  and  very  strange  and  agreeable  was  the 
change  in  the  landscape — a  broad  desert  of  white  sand 
suddenly  transformed  into  a  vast  running  river  of  fresh 
water,  bringing  gladness  to  all  living  things. 

The  sandy  bars  of  some  of  the  other  small  rivers  of 
Angola  become  closed  sometimes  for  several  months,  but 
the  stream  remains  of  about  the  sam«  volume,  or  opens 
out  into  a  pool  or  lake,  or  partly  dries  up  into  lovely 
sedgy  pools  inhabited  by  wildfowl  of  various  kinds,  and 
fields  of  beautiful  aquatic  grasses  and  papyrus  plants,  in 
which  I  have  often  seen  caught  by  hand  the  singular  fresh- 
water fish  *'Bagre"  (Clarias  Capensis,  Bagrus,  &c.)  vigor- 
ously alive,  left  behind  by  the  diminishing  waters,  in 
grassy  swampy  places  where  the  foot  hardly  sank  ankle 
deep  in  water,  and  where  it  was  certainly  not  deep  enough 
to  cover  them.  The  dry  sandy  beds  of  rivers  in  the  rain- 
less season  are  often  completely  covered  with  a  magnificent 
growth  of  the  Palma  Christi,  or  Castor  Oil  plant,  with 
its  beautiful  large  leaves.  This  I  have  noticed  more 
particularly  in  the  district  of  Kovo  Eedondo  and  Ben- 
guella. 

Sharks,  so  frightfully  dangerous  in  the  surf  of  the  West 
Coast,  are  unknown  south  of  the  Eiver  Congo.  I  have 
never  iieard  of  a  person  being  attacked  by  one,  although 
at  Loanda  the  white  population  bathe  off  the  island  in 
front  of  the  town,  and  blacks  dabble  about  in  the  sea 
everywhere,  and  swim  to  and  from  the  boats  and  barges. 

No  strikingly  high  mountain,  I  believe,  exists  in  An- 
gola ;  no  hills  of  any  great  importance  till  we  arrive  at 
the  first  rise,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  extends  the  whole 


PHYSICAL  OEOGRAPEY.  29 

length  of  Angola  at  a  distance  of  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles 
from  the  sea.  The  second  and  third  elevations  contain 
some  line  mountain  or  hill  ranges,  as  at  Bembe,  Pungo 
Andongo,  Cazengo,  Mucellis,  and  Capangombe.  To  the 
south  of  Benguella  as  far  as  Mossamedes  flat-topped  or 
table  hills,  perfectly  bare  of  vegetation,  are  a  very  promi- 
nent feature,  seen  from  the  sea ;  they  are  of  basalt,  and 
are  about  200  or  J300  feet  in  height,  and  are  in  many 
places  the  only  remains  left  of  a  higher  level.  In  others, 
this  higher  level  still  exists  for  a  considerable  extent, 
deeply  cut  by  narrow  gorges  and  ravines  leading  towards 
the  sea,  with  nearly  perpendicular  sides. 


(    30    ) 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  EIVER  CONGO  A  BOUNDARY — SLAVE  TRADE — SLAVERY 
— ORDEAL  BY  POISON — INSENSIBILITY  OF  THE  NEGRO — 
INGRATITUDE. 

The  River  Congo,  or  Zaire,  is  a  very  striking  and  well- 
marked  line  of  division  or  boundary,  in  respect  of  climate, 
fauna,  natives  and  customs,  between  Angola  and  the  rest 
of  the  West  Coast. 

The  difference  in  the  scenery  and  vegetation  from  those 
of  the  north  is  very  great  indeed,  and  not  less  so  is  that 
of  the  birds  and  animals.  I  have  noticed  enough  to  con- 
vince me  that  it  would  well  repay  a  naturalist  to  investi- 
gate the  number  of  species  this  river  cuts  off,  as  it  were, 
from  Angola;  the  gorilla  and  chimpanzee,  for  instance, 
are  only  known  north  of  the  Congo;  they  are  found  at 
Loan  go  and  Landana,  and  from  reports  of  the  natives, 
even  near  to  the  river  itself;  many  species  of  monkeys, 
very  abundant  at  Cabinda  and  on  the  north  bank,  are 
quite  unknown  in  Angola ;  and  the  ordinary  grey  parrot, 
which  is  to  be  seen  in  flocks  on  the  Congo,  is  also  un- 
known to  the  south — the  only  exception  to  this  rule,  as 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  being  at  Cassange, 
about  300  miles  to  the  interior  of  Loanda,  where  the  rare 
"King  parrat,"  with  red  feathers  irregularly  distributed 
among  the  grey  ones,  is  not  uncommon.  Of  small  birds  I 
have  noticed  many  at  Cabinda  that  I  never  observed  in 
Angola  ;  the  same  with  butterflies,  and  other  insects. 

The  Congo  is  very  deep,  and  the  current  is  always  very 
strong;  even  above  Boma  (or  M'Boraa),  about  ninety  miles 
distant  from  the  sea,  the  river  is  a  vast  body  of  water, 
and  the  current  still  very  swift.  From  the  mouth  to 
beyond  this  place   the  banks   are   deeply  cut  into   in- 


THE  RIVER  CONGO  A  BOUNDARY.  31 

numerable  creeks  and  rivers,  and  form  many  large  islands. 
The  enormous  quantity  of  fresh  water  poured  by  this 
river  into  the  sea  gives  rise  to  many  curious  speculations 
as  to  its  extent  and  probable  sources.  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  the  River  Congo,  or  its  principal  branch, 
after  going  in  a  north-east  direction  for  a  comparatively 
short  distance,  bends  to  the  southward,  and  will  be  found 
to  run  for  many  degrees  in  that  direction. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  seen  that  south  of 
the  Congo  no  river  deserving  of  that  name,  or  draining 
more  than  the  country  up  to  the  third  elevation,  exists 
in  Angola.  The  vast  country  from  the  River  Congo  to 
perhaps  the  Orange  River,  or  about  1200  miles,  has  there- 
fore no  outfall  for  its  waters  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

The  existence  of  volcanic  rocks  in  Cambambe  and 
Mossamedes  appears  to  explain  the  elevation  of  this  part 
of  the  coast ;  how  much  farther  to  the  south  this  eleva- 
tion has  taken  place  is  as  yet  unknown,  and  I  can  only 
reconcile  the  vast  body  of  water  of  the  River  Congo  with 
the  absence  of  any  large  river  farther  south,  by  supposing 
it  to  bend  down  and  drain  the  long  line  of  country  up- 
heaved on  the  sea-board :  it  is  not  likely  to  drain  much 
country  to  the  north  from  the  existence  of  several  rivers 
such  as  the  Chiloango,  Quillo,  Massabi,  and  Mayumba,  in 
a  distance  of  about  360  miles  from  its  mouth  to  that  of 
the  River  Gaboon  under  the  Equator. 

For  many  years,  and  up  to  about  the  year  1868,  the 
Congo  was  the  principal  shipping  place  for  slaves  on  the 
South-West  Coast,  the  large  number  of  creeks  in  it 
affording  safe  hiding-places  for  loading  the  ships  engaged 
in  the  traffic,  and  the  swift  current  enabling  them  to  go 
out  quickly  a  long  way  to  sea,  and  clear  the  line  of 
cruisers.  Boma  was  the  centre  or  point  for  the  caravans 
of  slaves  coming  from  different  parts  of  the  interior,  and 
there  was  little  or  no  trade  in  produce. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  say  a  few  words  on 
the  slave-trade  of  the  South  Coast,  because  a  great  deal  of 
ignorance  and  misconception  exists  on  the  subject  from 
iudging  of  it  as  having  been  similar  to  the  slave-trade  in 


32  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

Horth  and  East  Africa.  Repugnant  and  wicked  as  is  the 
idea  of  slavery  and  dealing  in  human  flesh,  philanthropy 
must  be  debited  with  an  amount  of  unknowing  cruelty  and 
wholesale  sacrifice  of  life  perfectly  awful  to  contemplate, 
as  a  set-off  against  its  well-intentioned  and  successful 
efforts  to  put  a  stop  to  slavery  and  the  known  horrors  of 
the  middle  passage,  and  subsequent  ill-treatment  at  the 
hands  of  the  planters. 

In  no  part  of  Angola  or  among  tribes  to  the  interior 
have  slave-hunts  ever  existed  as  in  the  north ;  there  are 
no  powerful  or  more  civilized  nations  making  war  on 
weaker  tribes  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  slaves,  and 
devastating  the  country  by  lire  and  sword.  There  is  very 
little  cruelty  attending  the  state  of  slavery  among  the 
natives  of  Angola,  I  believe  I  may  say  even  in  the 
greater  part  of  the  rest  of  tropical  Africa,  but  I  will 
restrict  myself  to  the  part  of  which  I  have  an  intimate 
knowledge.  It  is  a  domestic  institution,  and  has  existed,  as 
at  present,  since  time  immemorial ;  and  there  is  no  more 
disgrace  or  discredit  in  having  been  born  of  slave  parents, 
and  consequently  in  being  a  slave,  than  there  is  in  Europe 
in  being  born  of  dependents  or  servants  of  an  ancestral 
Louse,  and  continuing  in  its  service  in  the  same  manner. 

There  is  something  patriarchal  in  the  state  of  bondage 
among  the  negroes,  if  we  look  at  it  from  an  African 
point  of  view  (1  must  again  impress  on  my  readers 
that  all  my  remarks  apply  to  Angola).  The  free  man, 
or  owner,  and  his  wile,  have  to  supply  their  slaves 
with  proper  food  and  clothing,  to  tend  them  in  sickness 
as  their  own  children,  to  get  them  husbands  or  Avives, 
as  the  case  may  be,  to  supply  them  with  the  means 
of  celebrating  their  festivals,  such  as  their  marriages, 
births,  or  burials,  in  nearly  the  same  way  as  amongst 
themselves,  the  slaves,  in  fact,  are  considered  as  their 
family,  and  are  always  spoken  of  as  "  m.y  son,"  or  "  my 
daughter."  If  the  daughters  of  slaves  are  chosen  as 
">vives  or  concubines  by  their  owners  or  other  fjee  men,  it 
is  considered  an  honour,  and  taeir  children,  though  looked 
upon  as  slaves,  are  entitled  to  special  consideration. 


THE  SLA VE  TRADE.  33 

There  is  consequently  no  cruelty  or  hardship  attending 
tlie  state  of  slavery  ;  a  male  slave  cannot  be  made 
by  his  master  to  cultivate  the  ground,  which  is  women's 
\York,  and  the  mistress  and  her  slaves  till  the  ground 
together. 

A  stranger  set  down  in  Angola,  and  not  aware  of  the 
existence  of  slavery,  would  hardly  discover  that  such  an 
institution  prevailed  so  universally  amongst  them,  so  little 
apparent  difference  is  there  between  the  master  and  slave. 
A  not  very  dissimilar  condition  of  things  existed  in  tlie 
feudal  times  in  England  and  other  countries.  Yet  many 
hundred  thousand  slaves  were  brought  down  to  the  coast  to 
be  sold  to  the  white  men  and  shipped  off,  and  I  will  now 
explain  how  this  was  the  case,  paradoxical  though  it  may 
appear  after  what  I  have  just  said.  The  number  was 
partly  made  up  of  surplus  slave  population  sold  oif  by  the 
owners,  probably  fiom  inability  to  feed  or  clothe  them ; 
cases  of  famine  from  failure  of  the  crops,  from  drought,  &c., 
a  common  local  occurrence,  also  supplied  large  numl)ers 
of  slaves;  but  by  far  the  greatest  part  were  furnished 
by  the  effect  of  their  own  laws,  almost  every  offence  being 
punishable  by  slavery,  to  which  not  only  the  guilty  party, 
but  even  in  many  cases  every  member  of  his  family  was 
liable. 

Offences  against  property  are  especially  visited  by  the 
severe  penalties  of  slavery,  fine,  or  death.  Any  one  caught 
in  the  act  of  stealing,  be  the  amount  ever  so  small,  becomes 
at  once  the  property  or  slave  of  the  person  robbed.  It  is 
a  common  thing  to  see  blacks  working  in  chains  at  fac- 
tories and  houses  where  they  have  been  caught  stealing, 
the  custom  among  the  Europeans  generally  being  to  detain 
them  until  their  relatives  shall  have  paid  a  ransom  for 
them.  I  must  do  the  natives  the  justice  to  say  that  they 
are  very  observant  of  their  own  laws,  even  to  a  white  man 
alone  in  their  territory,  who  claims  their  protection  against 
offenders.  Certain  offences  that  we  should  consider  trifling, 
are  by  some  tribes  visited  with  heavy  punishment,  such 
as  stealing  Indian  corn  whilst  growing,  or  an  e^g  frcra 
under  a  sitting  hen.     In  other  tribes  breaking  a  plato 

D 


34  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

or  other  article  of  crockery  is  a  great  offence :  this  is 
especially  the  case  to  the  interior  of  Novo  Eedondo,  Avliere 
the  punishment  is  death  or  slavery. 

I  was  told  there  of  the  amusing  manner  in  uhicli  a 
Portuguese  trader  turned  the  tables  on  a  Soba,  or  chief  of 
a  town,  where  he  had  established  himself,  and  who  an- 
noyed him  greatly  by  his  constant  demands  for  presents, 
by  plucing  a  cracked  plate  under  a  sheet  on  his  bed,  on 
which  the  Soba  was  in  the  habit  of  sitting  during  his  too 
frequent  visits.  On  the  Soba  sitting  down  as  usual,  on 
the  trap  prepared  for  him,  he,  of  course,  smashed  the  plate 
to  atoms,  to  his  great  surprise;  frightened  at  the  possible 
result  of  the  accident,  he  humbly  begged  the  trader  not  to 
let  a  soul  in  the  place  know  of  it,  promising  restitution ; 
the  wished-for  result  of  the  scheme  was  attained,  as  he 
ceased  all  his  importunities  during  the  remainder  of  the 
trader's  stay  in  the  country.     - 

But  all  these  sources  of  slaves  for  shipment  were  but  a 
fraction  of  the  number  supplied  by  their  belief  in  witch- 
craft. Witchcraft  is  their  principal,  or  only  belief;  every 
thing  that  happens  has  been  brought  about  by  it;  all 
cases  of  drought,  sickness,  death,  blight,  accident,  and 
even  the  most  trivial  circumstances  are  ascribed  to  the  evil 
influence  of  witchery  or  "  fetish." 

A  "  fetish  "  man  is  consulted,  and  some  poor  unfortunate 
accused  and  either  killed  at  once  or  sold  into  slavery,  and, 
in  most  cases,  all  his  family  as  well,  and  every  scrap  of 
tlieir  property  confiscated  and  divided  amongst  the  whole 
town ;  in  other  cases,^ however,  a  heavy  fine  is  imposed, 
and  inability  to  pay  it  also  entails  slavery ;  the  option  of 
trial  by  ordeal  is  sometimes  afforded  the  accused,  who 
often  eagerly  demand  it,  such  is  their  firm  belief  in  it. 

This  extremely  curious  and  interesting  ordeal  is  by 
poison,  which  is  prepared  from  the  thick,  hard  bark  of  a 
laige  tree,  tlie  ilrythro^lilveum  Guineense  (Oliver,  *  Flora 
of  Tropical  Africa,'  ii.  320).  Dr.  Brunton  has  exa- 
mined the  properties  of  this  bark,  and  finds  that  it  pos- 
sesses a  very  remarkable  action.  The  powder,  when 
inhaled,   causes  violent  sneezing;   the   aqueous  extract, 


ORDEAL  BY  POISON.  35 

when  injected  under  the  skin  of  animals,  causes  vomiting, 
and  has  a  remarkable  effect  upon  the  vagus  iierve,  which 
it  first  irritates  and  then  paralyses.  The  irritation  of  this 
nerve  makes  tlie  he  »rt  beat  slowly.  (Fuller  details  may 
be  found  in  the  *  Proceedings  of  the  Koyal  Society '  for 
this  year.) 

It  is  called  *'casca"  by  the  natives,  and  I  obtained  a 
specimen  at  Bembe,  whicli  was  brought  to  me  concealed  in 
rags,  by  a  half-witted  water-carrier  in  my  service,  and  he 
procured  it  for  me  only  after  my  promising  him  that  I 
would  not  tell  anyone.  He  said  it  was  from  a  tree  growing 
about  half  a  day's  journey  off,  but  I  could  not  get  him  to 
take  me  to  it.  The  other  blacks  denied  all  knowledge  of  it, 
and  said  it  was  "  fetish  "  for  anyone  to  have  it  in  his  pos- 
session. On  two  occasions  afterwards,  I  obtained  some  more 
specimens  from  natives  of  Cabinda,  where  the  tree  is 
said  to  be  abundant,  and  the  natives  very  fond  of  re- 
ferring all  their  disputes  and  accusations  to  its  decision. 

"  Casca  "  is  prepared  by  the  bark  being  ground  on  a  stone 
to  a  fine  powder,  and  mixed  with  about  half  a  pint  of  cold 
water,  a  piece  about  two  inches  square  being  said  to  be  a 
dose.  It  either  acts  as  an  emetic  or  as  a  purgative ;  should 
the  former  effect  take  place,  the  accused  is  declared  in- 
nocent, if  the  latter,  he  is  at  once  considered  guilty,  and 
either  allowed  to  die  of  the  poison,  which  is  said  to  be 
quick  in  its  action,  or  immediately  attacked .  with  sticks 
and  clubs,  his  head  cut  off  and  his  body  burnt. 

All  the  natives  I  inquired  of  agreed  in  their  description 
of  the  effect  produced  on  a  person  poisoned  by  this  bark; 
his  limbs  are  first  affected  and  he  loses  all  power  over 
them,  falls  to  the  ground,  and  dies  quickly ;  without  much 
apparent  suffering. 

It  is  said  to  be  in  the  power  of  the  "fetish"  man  to 
prepare  the  "  casca"  mixture  in  such  a  manner  as  to  deter- 
mine w  hich  of  the  effects  mentioned  shall  be  produced  ;  in 
case  of  a  dispute,  both  parties  drink  it,  and  according  as 
he  allows  the  mixture  to  settle,  and  gives  one  the  clear 
liquid  and  the  other  the  dregs,  so  does  it  produce  vomiting 
in  the  former,  and  acts  as  a  purgative  in  the  latter  case. 

D  2 


3G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

I  have  very  little  doubt  that  as  the  "  fetish  "  man  is  bribed 
or  not,  so  he  can  and  does  prepare  it. 

The  Portuguese  in  Angola  strictly  prohibit  the  use  of 
"  casca,"  and  severely  punish  any  natives  concerned  in  a 
trial  by  this  bark,  but  it  is  nevertheless  practised  in  secret 
everywhere. 

The  occasion  of  the  test  is  one  of  great  excitement,  and 
is  accompanied  by  much  cruelty.  In  some  tribes  the 
accused,  after  drinking  the  potion,  has  to  stoop  and  pass 
under  half-a-dozen  low  arches  made  by  bending  switches 
and  sticking  both  ends  into  the  ground ;  should  he  fall 
down  in  passing  under  any  of  the  arches,  tliat  circum- 
stance alone  is  sufficient  to  prove  him  guilty,  without 
waiting  for  the  purgative  effect  to  be  produced. 

Before  the  trial  the  accused  is  confined  in  a  hut,  closely 
guarded,  and  the  night  before  it  is  surrounded  by  all  the 
women  and  children  of  the  neighbouring  towns,  dancing 
and  singing  to  the  horrid  din  of  their  drums  and  rattles. 
On  the  occasion  of  the  ordeal  the  men  are  all  armed  with 
knives,  matchets,  and  sticks,  and  the  moment  the  poor 
devil  stumbles  in  going  under  one  of  the  switches,  he  is 
instantly  set  upon  by  the  howling  multitude  and  beaten  to 
death,  and  cut  and  hacked  to  pieces  in  a  few  minutes.  I 
was  at  Mangue  Grande  on  one  occasion  when  a  big  dance 
was  going  on  the  night  before  a  poor  wretch  was  to  take 
*'  casca."  I  went  to  the  town  with  some  of  the  traders  at 
that  place,  and  we  offered  to  ransom  him,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose ;  nothing,  they  said,  could  save  him  from  the  trial. 
I  learnt,  however,  that  he  passed  it  successfully,  but  I 
think  I  never  heard  such  a  hideous  yelling  as  the  400  or 
500  women  and  children  were  making  round  the  hut, 
almost  all  with  their  faces  and  bodies  painted  red  and 
white,  dancing  in  a  perfect  cloud  of  dust,  and  the  whole 
scene  illuminated  by  lllazing  fires  of  dry  grass  under  a 
starlit  summer  sky. 

The  most  insignificant  and  extraordinary  circumstances 
are  made  the  subject  of  accusations  of  witchcraft,  and  en- 
tail the  usual  penalties. 

I  was  at  Ambrizzette  when  three  Cabinda  women  had 


OUDEAL  BY  POISON.  37 

been  to  the  river  with  their  pots  for  water ;  all  three  were 
fillmg  them  from  the  stream  together,  when  the  middle  one 
was  snapped  up  by  an  alh'gator,  and  instantly  carried  away 
under  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  of  course  devoured. 
The  relatives  of  the  poor  woman  at  once  accused  the  other 
two  of  bewitching  her,  and  causing  tlie  alh'gator  to  take 
her  out  of  their  midst!  When  I  remonstrated  with  them, 
and  attempted  to  show  them  the  utter  absurdity  of  the 
charge,  tlieir  answer  was,  "Why did  not  the  alligator  take 
one  of  the  end  ones  then,  and  not  the  one  in  the  middle  ?  " 
and  out  of  this  idea  it  was  impossible  to  move  them,  and 
the  poor  women  were  both  to  take  *'  casca."  I  never  heard 
the  result,  but  most  likely  one  or  both  were  either  killed 
or  passed  into  slavery. 

At  a  place  near  the  mountain  range  of  Pungo  Andongo, 
about  150  miles  inland  of  Loanda,  I  was  once  the  amused 
spectator  at  a  curious  trial  of  a  man  for  bewitching  the 
spirit  of  his  dead  wife.  Her  sister,  it  appeared,  suffered 
from  violent  headaches,  and  sleepless  nights,  which  were 
said  to  be  caused  by  the  wife's  spirit  being  unable  to 
rest,  on  account  of  the  widower  being  a  wizard.  A 
large  circle  of  spectators  was  formed  round  the  sick 
sister,  who  was  squatting  on  the  ground;  a  fetish  man 
was  beating  a  drum,  and  singing,  or  rather  droning, 
some  incantation ;  after  a  little  while,  the  woman  began  to 
give  short  yelps,  and  to  close  her  eyes,  and  on  being  inter- 
rogated by  the  fetish  man,  said  the  spirit  of  her  sister  had 
spoken  to  her,  and  that  she  could  not  rest  until  her 
husband  had  made  restitution  of  her  two  goats  and  her 
baskets,  &c.,  which  he  had  appropriated,  and  which  she 
had  desired  should  be  given  to  her  sister.  The  man 
instantly  rose,  and  brought  the  goats,  baskets,  clothes, 
&c.,  and  laid  them  before  his  sister-in-law,  and  the  trial 
was  over.  If  he  had  denied  the  accusation,  he  would 
inevitably  have  had  to  take  "  casca." 

When  we  consider  the  great  population  of  the  vast 
country  that  supplied  the  slave  trade  of  the  coast,  and 
that,  as  I  have  explained,  the  state  of  their  laws  and  cus- 
toms renders  all   transgressions    liable   to   slavery,   the 


38  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

absence  of  necessity  for  the  slave  wars  and  hunts  of  the 
north  of  Africa  and  other  extensive  and  thinly  populated 
districts  is  sufficiently  proved.  I  have  been  unable  to 
collect  positive  information  as  to  the  statistics  of  the 
slaves  shipped  in  Angola  (from  Congo  to  Benguella  inclu- 
sively), but  the  number  could  not  have  been  far  short  of 
lOOjOUO  per  annum.  I  was  told  by  some  of  the  old  inha- 
bitants, that  to  see  as  many  as  ten  to  twelve  vessels  loading 
at  a  time  at  Loanda  and  Benguella  was  a  common  occur- 
rence. At  the  time  of  the  last  shipments  from  Benguella, 
about  ten  years  ago,  I  have  seen  as  many  as  1000  slaves 
arrive  in  one  caravan  from  the  interior,  principally  from 
Bih6. 

Up  to  within  a  very  few  years  there  existed  a  marble 
arm-chair  on  the  wharf  at  the  custom-house  at  Loanda, 
where  the  bishop,  in  the  slave-trading  times,  was  wont  to 
sit,  to  baptize  and  bless  the  batches  of  poor  wretches  as 
they  were  sent  off  in  barge-loads  to  the  vessels  in  the  har- 
bour. The  great  slaughter  now  going  on  in  a  great  part 
of  Africa,  which  I  have  mentioned  as  the  result  of  the  sup- 
pression of  the  slave  shipments  from  the  coast,  can  now  be 
understood  ;  whereas  formerly  they  were  sent  to  the  coast 
to  be  sold  to  the  white  men  and  exported,  they  are  now 
simply  murdered.  On  the  road  down  from  Bembe  in 
April  last,  we  passed  the  ashes  and  bones  of  a  black  who 
had  stolen  a  trade-knife,  a  bit  of  iron  in  a  small  wooden 
handle,  and  made  in  Germany  at  the  rate  of  a  few  shillings 
per  gross,  and  passed  on  the  coast  in  trade ;  on  the  top  of 
his  staff  was  stuck  his  skull  and  the  knife  he  had  stolen,  a 
ghastly  and  lasting  warning  to  passers-by  of  the  strict 
laws  of  the  country  respecting  property. 

If  a  famine  overtakes  any  part  of  the  country,  a 
common  occurrence,  the  slaves  are  simply  taken  out  and 
knocked  on  the  head  to  save  them  from  starvation.  I 
was  told  by  the  natives  that  the  slaves  offered  no  re- 
sistance to  that  fate,  but  accepted  it  as  inevitable,  and 
preferable  to  the  pangs  of  hunger,  knowing  that  it  was  no 
use  going  to  the  coast  to  save  their  lives  at  the  hands  of 
the  white  men  by  being  shipped  as  slaves.     At  Musserra, 


INSENSIBILITY  OF  THE  NEGRO.  39 

« — 

three  Cabinda  blacks  from  tlie  boats'  crews  joined  three 
natives  in  robbing  one  of  the  factories  :  on  complaint  being 
made  to  the  king  and  principal  men  of  the  town,  they 
marched  off  the  three  Cabindas,  promising  to  punish  them, 
which  they  did  by  cutting  off'  their  heads,  unknown  to 
the  white  men;  they  then  brought  the  three  natives 
to  deliver  up  to  tlie  traders  as  their  slaves,  but  on  these 
refusing  to  accept  them,  and  demanding  that  a  severe 
punishment  should  also  be  passed  on  them,  they  quietly 
tied  a  large  stone  to  their  necks,  took  them  out  in  a 
•canoe  to  the  bay,  and  dropped  them  into  the  sea. 

It  is  impossible  to  reclaim  tlie  hordes  of  savages  in- 
habiting the  interior  even  of  An2;ola  from  their  horrid 
customs  and  their  disregard  for  life ;  the  insalubrity  of 
the  country,  though  it  is  infinitely  superior  in  this  respect 
to  the  rest  of  the  West  Coast,  would  be  an  almost  in- 
superable bar  to  their  improvement ;  their  own  progress 
is  still  more  hopeless.  In  my  opinion,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary that  tropical  Africa  should  undergo  a  total  physical 
revolution,  that  the  long  line  of  unhealthy  coast  should 
be  upheaved,  and  the  deadly  leagues  of  pestiferous  swamps 
be  thus  drained,  before  the  country  would  be  fitted  for  the 
existence  of  a  higher  type  of  mankind  than  the  present 
negro  race. 

It  can  only  have  been  by  countless  ages  of  battling 
with  malaria,  that  they  have  been  reduced  physically  and 
morally  to  their  present  wonderful  state  or  condition  of 
withstanding  successfully  the  climatic  influences,  so  fatal 
to  the  white  and  more  highly  organized  race — the  sun 
and  fevers  of  their  malignant  and  dismal  mangrove 
swamps,  or  the  mists  and  agues  of  their  magniticent 
tropical  forests,  no  more  affecting  them  than  they  do 
the  alligators  and  countless  mosquitoes  that  swarm 
in  the  former,  or  the  monkeys  and  snakes  that  inhabit 
the  latter.  It  is  really  astonishing  to  see  the  naked 
negro,  without  a  particle  of  covering  on  his  head  (often 
shaved),  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  fierce  sun,  his  daily  food 
a  few  handfuls  of  ground-nuts,  beans,  or  mandioca-root, 
and  very  often  most  unwholesome  water  for  drink.     At 


40  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

niglit  he  throws  himself  on  the  ground,  anywhere,  covers 
himself  with  a  thin  grass  or  cotton  cloth,  nearly  tran- 
sparent in  texture,  without  a  pillow,  like  a  dog,  and 
awakes  in  the  morning  generally  wet  through  with  the 
heavy  dew,  and  does  not  suffer  the  least  pain  or  incon- 
venience from  the  climate  from  infancy  to  ohl  age  unless 
his  lungs  become  affected. 

The  way  babies  are  treated  would  be  enough  to  kill  a 
white  child.  The  women  when  at  work  on  the  plantations 
generally  place  them  on  a  heap  of  grass  or  on  the  ground, 
and  are  not  at  all  particular  to  put  them  in  the  shade,  and 
I  have  often  seen  them  naked  and  filthy,  and  covered  with 
a  thick  mass  of  large  buzzing  flies  over  their  faces  and 
bodies,  fast  asleep,  with  the  sun  shining  full  on  them. 
The  women,  in  carrying  them  tied  behind  their  backs, 
seldom  include  their  little  heads  in  the  cloth  that  secures 
them,  but  leave  them  to  swing  and  loll  about  helplessly  in 
every  direction  with  the  movement  of  walking. 

Children,  of  any  age,  seldom  cry,  and  when  they  do  it 
is  a  kind  of  howl ;  when  hurt  or  punished,  they  very  rarely 
shed  tears,  or  sob,  but  keep  up  a  monotonous  noise,  which 
would  never  be  imagined  to  be  the  crying  of  a  child,  but 
rather  a  song. 

I  once  saw,  in  one  of  the  market-places  in  Loanda,  a 
boy  of  about  sixteen  lying  on  the  ground,  nearly  naked, 
with  his  face  and  body  covered  wnth  flies,  but  none  of  the 
busy  thronging  crowd  had  thought  that  he  was  dead  and 
stiff,  as  I  discovered  when  I  touched  him  with  my  foot, 
but  thought  he  was  simply  asleep  and  basking  in  the 
sun :  his  being  covered  with  flies  was  too  trivial  a  circum- 
stance to  attract  any  attention. 

The  manner  in  which  negroes  receive  most  severe 
wounds,  with  apparently  little  pain  and  absence  of  ner- 
vous shock,  is  most  extraordinary.  I  have  often  been 
told  of  this  by  the  Portuguese  surgeons,  who  remark 
the  absence  of  shock  to  the  system  with  which  negroes 
undergo  amputations  and  other  severe  operations  (without 
chloroform),  which  are  attended  by  so  much  danger  to  the 
white  race.     I  was  staying  at  Ambrizzette  when  a  man 


INSENSIBILITY  OF  THE  NEGRO.  41 

carao  there  with  his  right  hand  blown  to  a  mass  of  shreds, 
from  the  explosion  of  a  gun-barrel ;  he  was  accompanied 
by  his  relatives,  who  took  him  to  the  different  factories  to 
beg  the  white  men  to  cut  off  the  hanging  shreds  of  flesh 
and  dress  the  injured  part.  All  refused  to  attend  to  the 
man,  till  a  Frenchman  gave  them  a  sharp  razor,  arnica, 
and  balsam,  and  some  bandages,  and  made  them  go  out  of 
the  house  and  enclosure  to  operate  on  the  sufferer  them- 
selves, away  from  the  factories ;  which  they  did.  About 
an  hour  after  I  was  passing  a  group  of  natives  sitting 
round  a  fire,  and  amongst  them  was  the  wounded  man 
laughing  and  joking  quite  at  his  ease,  and  with  his  left 
hand  roasting  ground-nuts  with  the  rest,  as  if  nothing  had 
happened  to  him. 

The  reason  tlie  white  men  refused  to  help  the  wounded 
black  was  not  from  want  of  charity  or  pity,  as  all  would  have 
done  everything  in  their  power  to  alleviate  his  sufferings, 
but  it  was  the  singular  custom  of  the  natives  that  prevented 
their  doing  so.  Had  he  died,  the  white  man  who  ministered 
to  him  would  have  been  made  responsible  for  his  death,  and 
would  have  been  almost  as  heavily  fined  as  if  he  had  mur- 
dered him !  If  he  got  well,  as  he  did,  his  benefactor  would 
have  been  inconvenienced  by  heavy  demands  for  his-  main- 
tenance and  clothing,  and  expected  to  make  presents  to  the 
king,  &c.,  for  he  would  be  looked  upon  as  having  saved 
his  life,  and  consequently  bound  to  support  him,  to  a 
certain  extent,  as  he  was,  though  alive,  unable  from  the 
accident,  to  get  his  own  living  as  readily  as  if  he  v.ere 
uninjured.  The  Frenchman  got  over  this  risk  by  giving 
the  remedies,  not  to  the  wounded  black  himself,  Jbut  to 
his  friends,  and  also  making  them  clear  out  of  the 
precincts  of  the  house ;  so  that  in  no  case,  whether  the 
man  died  or  lived,  could  any  claim  be  made  against  him. 

The  only  way  to  put  a  stop  to  the  awful  bloodshed  now 
going  on  in  the  interior  would  be  to  organize  an  emigration 
scheme,  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  several  govern- 
ments who  have  entered  into  treaties  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  and  transport  the  poor  wretches,  now  being  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood  by  thousands,  to  tropical  climates 


42  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

where  lliey  might  earn  their  living  by  the  cultivation  of 
those  articles  necessary  for  consumption  in  civilized 
(>*oiintries ;  their  constitution  would  enable  them  to  resist 
the  climate,  and  they  would  gradually  become  civih'zed. 

One  great  bar  to  their  civilization  in  Angola,  is  that  no 
tribe  on  the  coast  can  be  induced  to  work  for  wages,  except 
as  servants  in  houses  and  stores,  and  even  these  are  mostly 
slaves  of  other  natives,  or  work  to  pay  off  some  fine  or 
penalty  incurred  in  their  towns.  For  some  years  that  I 
Slave  been  collecting  the  inner  bark  of  the  Adansonia 
digitata,  or  Baobab  tree  (the  applic  ition  of  which  to 
paper-making  I  discovered  in  1858,  and  commenced 
working  as  a  commercial  speculation  in  1865),  I  have 
been  unable  to  induce  one  single  native  to  hire  himself 
to  work  by  day  or  piecework ;  they  will  cut,  prepare,  and 
dry  it,  and  bring  it  ibr  sale,  but  nothing  will  induce  them 
to  hire  themselves,  or  their  slaves,  to  a  white  man. 

There  are  at  present  in  Angola  several  sugar  and  cotton 
plantations  worke  1  by  slaves,  called  at  present  *•'  libertos," 
who  are  meant  by  the  Portuguese  Government  to  work 
ten  years,  as  a  compensation  to  their  owners  for  the  capital 
expended  in  their  purchase  and  for  their  clothing,  educa- 
tion and  medical  treatment.  At  a  near  date,  the  total 
abolition  of  slavery  in  Angola  has  been  decreed,  and  will 
come  into  force ;  with  the  inevitable  result  of  the  ruin 
of  the  plantations,  or  of  its  becoming  a  dead  letter  in 
the  province*. 

By  the  native  laws,  a  black  once  sold  as  a  slave,  and 
escaping  back  to  his  tribe,  is  considered  a  free  man,  so 
that  a  planter  at  present  has  no  hold  on  his  slaves;  if 
they  escape  into  the  neighbouring  towns,  the  natives 
will  only  deliver  them  up  on  the  payment  of  a  certain 
amount,  very  often  more  than  he  had  cost  in  the  first 
instance. 

No  amount  of  kindness  or  good  done  to  a  negro  will 
have  the  slightest  inflwence  in  preventing  him  from 
leaving  his  benefactor  without  as  much  as  a  '*  good-bye," 
or  a  shadow  of  an  excuse,  and  very  often  going  from  a 
pampered  existence  to  the  certainty  of  the  hard  fare  and 


INQRATITUDE.  43 


life  of  their  free  condition,  and  this,  not  from  the  sh'ghtest 
idea  of  love  of  freedom,  or  anything  of  the  kind,  but 
simply  from  an  animal  instinct  to  live  a  lazy  and  vegeta- 
tive existence. 

When  I  was  at  Cuio,  working  a  copper  deposit,  a 
black  called  Firmino,  the  slave  of  a  Portuguese  there, 
attached  himself  very  much  to  me,  and  was,  seemingly, 
never  so  happy  as  when  accompanying  me  in  my  trips 
and  rambles,  and  not  from  any  payment  I  gave  him, 
beyond  a  small  and  occasional  present.  When  his  master 
was  leaving  tlie  place,  Firmino  came  crying  to  me,  begging 
me  to  buy  him,  that  he  might  remain  in  my  service  as 
my  slave,  promising  that  he  would  never  leave  me. 

His  master  generally  treating  him  with  harshness,  if 
not  cruelty,  I  took  pity  on  him,  and  gave  13Z.  10s.  for  him, 
a  high  and  fancy  price  there,  but  he  was  considered  worth 
it  from  his  great  size  and  strength,  his  speaking  Portuguese 
perfectly,  and  good  qualities  generally. 

I  explamed  to  him  that  although  I  had  bought  him,  he 
was  a  free  man,  and  could  go  at  once  if  he  liked  ;  but  that 
as  long  as  he  ren)ained  in  my  service  as  my  personal  at- 
tendant, he  should  have  clothes  and  pay.  He  went  on 
his  knees  to  thank  me  and  to  swear  in  negro  fashion,  by 
making  a  cross  in  the  dust  with  his  forefinger,  that  he 
would  never  leave  me.  A  fortnight  after,  having  to  send 
him  with  a  bundle  of  clothes  from  Benguella  to  Cuio,  he 
delivered  them  to  the  person  they  were  addressed  to, 
but  joined  three  slaves  in  stealing  a  boat  and  saihng  to 
Loanda. 

A  month  after  1  received  a  letter  from  the  police  there 
advising  me  that  a  nigger  called  Firmino  had  been  caught 
with  others  in  an  extensive  robbery,  and  claimed  to  be  my 
slave.  I  answered  that  he  was  no  slave  of  mine,  detailing 
the  circumstances  of  my  freeing  him,  and  asking  that  he 
should  be  dealt  with  as  he  deserved.  He  was  punished 
and  drafted  as  a  soldier  at  Loanda,  and  on  my  meeting 
him  there  one  day  and  asking  him  his  reason  i'or  leaving 
me,  and  treating  me  so  ungratefully,  he  said  that  "he  did 
not  know  why  he  had  done  so ;"  and  I  do  not  believe  he 


44  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 


did,  or  ever  tried  to  find  out,  or  bothered  his  head  any 
more  about  it.  • 

It  is  no  use  dis2;uising  the  fact  that  the  negro  race  is, 
mentally,  differently  constituted  from  the  white,  however 
disagreeable  and  opposed  this  may  be  to  the  usual  and 
prevailing,  ideas  in  this  country.  I  do  not  believe,  and  I 
fearlessly  assert,  that  there  is  hardly  such  a  thing  possible 
as  the  sincere  conversion  of  a  single  negro  to  Christianity 
whilst  in  Africa,  and  under  the  powerful  influence  of  their 
fellows.  No  progress  will  be  made  in  the  condition  of  the 
negro  as  long  as  the  idea  prevails  that  he  can  be  reasoned 
out  of  his  ignorance  and  prejudices,  and  his  belief  in  fetish, 
or  that  he  is  the  equal  of  the  white  man  ;  in  fact,  he  must 
remain  the  same  as  he  is  now,  until  we  learn  to  know  liim 
properly,  and  what  he  really  is. 

Loanda  was  discovered  in  the  year  1492,  and  since  1576 
the'white  race  has  never  abandoned  it.  The  Jesuits  and 
other  missionaries  did  wonders  in  their  time,  and  the  results 
of  their  great  v/ork  can  be  still  noticed  to  this  day :  thousands 
of  the  natives,  for  200  miles  to  the  interior,  can  read  and 
write  very  fairly,  though  there  has  hardly  been  a  mission 
or  school,  except  in  a  very  small  way,  at  Loanda  itself,  for 
many  many  years,  but  those  accomplishments  are  all  that 
civilization  or  example  has  done  amongst  them.  They  all 
believe  firmly  in  their  fetishes  and  charms,  and  though 
generally  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  equality 
by  the  Portuguese,  the  negro  race,  and  even  the  mulattoes, 
have  never  advanced  further  than  to  hold  secondary  ap- 
pointments, as  writers  or  clerks,  in  the  public  offices  and 
shops,  and  to  appear  (in  public)  in  the  most  starched  and 
dandyfied  condition.  I  can  only  recollect  one  black  man 
who  had  at  all  distinguished  himself  in  trade ;  keeping  low 
and  filthy  grog-shops  being  about  the  extent  of  their  busi- 
ness capacity.  Another  honourable  exception  is  a  Captain 
Dias,  who  is  the  captain  or  governor  of  the  district  of  the 
**  Barra  do  Bengo,"  near  Loanda,  a  very  intelligent  man, 
and  from  whom  1  several  times  experienced  great  kindness 
and  hospitality. 


■BiiSli 


i"'^!iit1:!:i?ii:::i'^:i|n!* itW'f 


■ 


IS 
MMmmJij 


tmmi 


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(    45    ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  EIVER  CONGO — BANANA — PORTO  DA  LENHA — BOM  A 
— MUSSURONGO  TRIBE — PIRATES — MUSHICONGO  TRIBE 
— FISH— PALM   CHOP — PALM  WINE. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  River  Congo  and  on  its  north  bank 
a  long  spit  of  sand  separates  the  sea  from  a  small  creek  or 
branch  of  the  river.  On  this  narrow  strip,  called  Banana, 
are  established  several  factories,  belonging  to  Dutch, 
French,  and  English  houses,  and  serving  principally  as 
depots  for  their  other  factories  higher  up  the  river  and  on 
the  coast.  The  Dutch  house  especially  is  a  large  establish- 
ment, and  it  was  in  one  of  their  small  steamers  that  my 
wife  and  myself  ascended  the  river  in  February  1873. 

The  first  place  we  touched  at  was  Porto  da  Lenha,  about 
forty  or  forty-five  miles  from  Banana.  The  river  banks  up 
to  this  point  are  sheer  walls  of  large  mangrove  trees  rising 
out  of  the  water ;  at  high  water,  particularly,  hardly  a  dry 
place  can  be  seeu  where  one  could  land  from  a  boat  or 
canoe. ^  The  natives  have,  of  course,  openings  known  to 
themselves,  under  and  through  the  mangrove,  where  their 
little  canoes  dart  in  and  out. 

Porto  da  Lenha  (Plate  II.)  consists  of  half-a-dozen  trading 
factories,  built  on  ground  enclosed  from  the  river  by  piles, 
forming  quays  in  front,  where  large  vessels  can  dischar<2:e 
and  load  close  alongside.  The  wharves  are  continually 
sinking,  and  have  to  be  replaced  by  constant  addition  of 
new  piles  and  layers  of  thick  fresh-water  bivalve  shells, 
very  abundant  in  the  river.  We  here  found  growing  in 
the  mud,  and  with  the  roots  covered  by  tiie  river  at  high 
water,  the  lovely  orchid  '^ Lissochilus  giganteus'''  in  full 
bloom;   we  collected  some   of  its   roots,  which  reached 


46  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

England  safely,  and  are  now  growing  in  Kew  Gardens. 
Several  fine  creepers  were  also  in  flower,  and  we  observed 
numerous  butterflies,  which  were  not  easy  to  capture  from 
the  difficulty  of  getting  at  them,  as  at  the  back  of  the 
houses  the  dense  bush  grows  out  of  swamp>  and  only  those 
specimens  crossing  the  small  dry  space  on  which  the  houses 
are  built  could  be  collected.  Little  creeks  divide  one 
house  from  another;  in  some  cases  a  plank  bridge  affords 
communication,  but  it  is  mostly  efiected  by  boats.  A  few 
days  before  our  arrival  a  flood  had  covered  the  w  hole  of  the 
ground  with  several  inches  of  water.  Considering  the  con- 
ditions of  the  place,  it  does  not  seem  to  be  so  unhealthy 
to  Europeans  as  might  be  expected.  Next  day  w^e  pro- 
ceeded to  Boma,  also  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
river,  about  ninety-five  miles  from  Banana. 

Tiie  scenery  completely  changes  after  leaving  Porto  da 
Lenha,  the  mangrove  totally  disappears,  and  several  kinds 
of  bright  green  bushes,  interspersed  with  different  palms 
and  trees,  cover  the  banks  for  many  miles.  Near  Boma, 
however,  the  banks  are  higher,  and  become  bare  of  trees 
and  shrubs,  the  whole  country  being  comparatively  free  of 
any  other  vegetation  but  high  grass ;  we  have  arrived,  in 
fact,  at  the  grass-covered  high  country  before  mentioned 
as  beginning  at  the  third  elevation  from  the  coast  over 
the  wdiole  of  Angoln. 

We  were  most  hospitably  received  by  a  young  Portu- 
guese, Senhor  Chaves,  in  charge  of  an  English  factory 
there,  picturesquely  situated,  overlooking  the  banks  of  the 
river.  A  high  hill  opposite  Boma  and  across  the  river  is 
covered  from  the  top  right  down  to  the  water's  edge  with 
an  impenetrable  forest,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  explain  this 
vegetation,  as  it  stands  in  such  singular  relief  to  the  com- 
parative barrenness  of  the  surrounding  country,  gigantic 
Baobabs  being  the  great  ti-ee-feature  of  the  place.  We 
crossed  the  river  several  times  to  this  thickly-wooded  liill, 
and  were  only  able  to  find  ju.-t  sufficient  shore  to  land 
under  the  branches  of  the  trees,  one  of  which  (Loneho- 
carpus  sericeus)  was  in  beautiful  bloom.  The  current  of 
the  river  is  so  strong,  and  the  stream  so  broad,  that  it 


BOM  A.  47 


took  us  balf-an-liour  to  get  across  in  a  good  boat  with  ten 
strong  Kroomen  paddling. 

The  view  from  a  high  hill  on  the  north  bank  is  magnifi- 
cent.: a  Biiccession  of  bends  of  the  river,  and  as  far  as  tlie 
sight  could  reach,  the  flat  country  to  the  south  and  west 
cut  into  innumerable  islands  and  creeks,  of  the  brightest 
green  of  the  water-grass  and  papyrus  reed,  divided  by  the 
sunlit  and  quicksilver-like  streams  of  the  vast  rapidly- 
flowing  river. 

Boma,  as  before  observed,  was  formerly  the  great  slave- 
trade  mart,  thousands  arriving  from  all  quarters  of  the 
interior ;  they  generally  carried  a  load  of  provisions, 
chiefly  small  beans,  a  species  of  the  haricot,  for  sale  to 
the  traders,  and  on  which  the  slaves  were  chiefly  fed, 
in  the  barracoons  and  on  board  the  vessels  in  which  they 
were  shipped,  and  the  Congo  used  in  this  way  to  su[)ply 
the  coast,  even  to  Loanda,  with  abundance  of  beans, 
raandioca-meal,  &c. ;  but  since  the  cessation  of  the  slave- 
trade  there  has  been  such  great  scarcity  of  native  grown 
food  produce,  not  only  in  the  river  but  everywhere  on  the 
coast — the  cultivation  of  other  products,  such  as  ground- 
nuts, being  of  greater  advantage  to  the  natives — that 
Europeans  are  sometimes  reduced  to  great  straits  for 
food  for  the  natives  in  their  service,  and  even  for  the 
fowls.  This  is  one  of  the  curious  changes  produced  in 
the  country  by  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade.  A  very 
large  trade  quickly  sprang  up  at  Boma  in  ground-nuts, 
palm-oil,  palm-kernels,  &c. ;  but  a  foolish  competition 
amongst  the  white  traders  has  induced  them  to  go  higher 
up  the  river  to  trade;  the  consequence  has  been  that 
Boma,  so  capitally  situated  in  every  way  for  a  trading 
station,  is  now  nearly  reduced  to  a  depot  for  produce 
brought  from  liirther  up  the  river. 

We  were  a  fortnight  at  Boma,  but  were  greatly  dis- 
appointed at  the  small  number  of  species  of  insects  wo 
collected,  and  the  poverty  in  plants  as  well.  All  the 
lovely  coloured  finches  and  other  birds  of  the  grassy 
regions  were  here  most  conspicuous  in  number  and  bril- 
liancy, and  it  was  re^^Jly  beautiful  to  see  the  tall  grass 


48  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEU  CONGO. 

alive  with  the  brightest  scarlet,  yellow,  orange,  and  velvet 
black  of  the  many  different  species,  at  that  season  in  their 
full  plumage. 

We  were  very  much  amused  at  a  pretty  hnbit  of 
the  males  of  the  tiny  little  sky-blue  birds  (Estrelda 
cyanogastra)  that,  with  other  small  birds  such  as  the 
Spermestes,  Estreldas,  Pytelias,  &c.,  used  to  come  down 
ill  flocks  to  feed  in  the  open  space  round  the  house.  The 
little  mites  would  take  a  grass  flower  in  their  beaks, 
and  perform  quite  a  hoppy  dance  on  any  little  stick  or 
bush,  bobbing  their  feathery  heads  up  and  down,  whilst 
their  tiny  throats  swelled  with  the  sweetest  little  song- 
notes  and  trills  imaginable.  This  was  their  song  to  the 
females,  who  were  feeding  about  on  the  ground  below 
them.  The  long-tailed  little  whydah  birds  [Vidua  jprin' 
ci/palis)  have  a  somewhat  similar  habit  of  showing  off 
whilst  the  hens  are  feeding  on  the  ground ;  they  keep 
hovering  in  the  air  about  three  or  four  feet  above  them, 
twit-twitting  all  the  time,  their  long  tails  rising  and 
falling  most  gracefully  to  the  up-and-down  motion  of 
their  little  bodies. 

One  Sunday  during  our  stay  Senhor  Chaves  organized 
a  pic-nic  of  the  principal  white  traders  to  a  native  village 
in  the  interior,  where  he  had  arranged  that  the  nine  kings 
who  govern  Boma  and  receive  "customs"  from  the  traders, 
should  meet  us,  in  order  that  he  might  make  them  each 
a  "  dash "  which  he  wished  my  wife  to  present,  in  com- 
memoration of  a  white  woman's  visit.  We  started  in 
ham.mocks,  and  after  about  two  hours'  journey,  arrived 
at  the  place  of  meeting,  where  a  gcod  breakfast  awaited 
us.  Our  road  was  over  hilly  ground,  rough  and  rocky 
(mica  schist),  and  was  remarkably  bare  of  vegetation; 
we  passed  one  or  two  large  and  well-cultivated  ravines. 

After  breakfast  the  nine  kings  appeared  on  the  scene, 
and  a  miserable  lot  they  were,  with  one  exception,  a  fine 
tall  old  grizzly  negro  ;  their  retinues  were  of  the  same  de- 
scription, and  wretchedly  clad.  There  was  a  big  palaver, 
the  customary  amount  of  rum  was  consumed  by  them, 
and  they  each  received,  from  my  wife,  their  "  dress "  of 


BOM  A.  49 


several  yards  of  cloth,  piece  of  cotton  handkerchiefs,  red 
baize  sash,  and  red  cotton  niglitcap.  One  old  fellow  had 
a  Very  curious  old  crucitix,  which  lie  did  not  know  the 
age  of;  he  could  only  tell  that  he  was  the  fifth  Soba  or 
kmg  tliat  had  iidn  rited  it.  It  liad  evidently  belonged  to 
the  old  Catholic  Portuguese  missionaries  of  former  times. 

Crucitixes  are  often  seen  as  *' fetishes  "  of  the  kings  in 
Angola.  Nothing  will  induce  them  to  part  with  them,  as 
they  behmg  to  part  of  tlie  "fetishes"  that  have  been 
handed  down  from  king  to  king  from  time  immemorial, 
and  mu4  not  be  lost  or  disposed  of. 

An  amusinjj^  incident  occurred  on  our  way  at  a  large 
village,  where  a  grent  crowd,  chiefly  of  women  and 
children,  had  collected  to  cheer  the  white  woman,  seen 
for  the  first  time  in  their  lives.  Mj  hammock  was  a 
little  way  behind,  and  on  arriving  at  the  village  I  was 
met  with  great  shouts  and  much  shaking  of  hands;  as 
the  other  white  men  had  not  been  similarly  received,  I 
inquired  the  reason  why,  and  was  then  informed  that  it 
was  to  denote  their  satisfaction  at  seeing  the  "  proprietor 
or  owner  of  the  white  woman,"  as  they  expressed  it. 

The  natives  here,  in  fact  above  Porto  da  Lenha,  are 
Mushicongos,  and  are  not  a  bad  set  of  blacks ;  but,  like  all 
this  large  tribe,  are  weak  and  puny  in  appearance,  dirty 
in  their  habits,  and  scanty  of  clothing.  They  have  not 
as  yet  allowed  white  men  to  pass  from  Poma,  or  any 
other  point  of  the  river,  to  St.  Salvador,  and  several 
Portuguese  who  have  wished  to  go  from  St.  Salvador  to 
Porna  have  been  dissuaded  from  attempting  the  journey 
by  the  king  and  natives,  not  from  any  objection  on  their 
parr,  but  Irom  the  certainty  that  the  blacks  near  the 
river  would  make  them  turn  back. 

There  is  a  very  great  objection  on  the  part  of  all  the 
tribes  of  the  interior  of  Angola,  and  particularly  of  those 
not  in  the  actual  territory  held  by  the  Portuguese,  to 
the  passage  of  a  white  man  through  the  country.  This 
is  due  in  the  first  place  to  the  natural  distrust  and  sus- 
picion of  the  negro  character,  and  secondly  to  their  fear 
of  the  example  of  the  occupation  of  Ambriz  and  the 

E 


60  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEIl  CONGO, 

]>embe  mines  by  the  Portuguese.  It  is  impossible  for 
blacks  to  understand  that  a  white  man  will  tiavel  for 
curiosity's  sake ;  it  is  perfectly  incomprehensible  to  them 
that  he  should  spend  money  in  carriers,  making  presents, 
&c.,  only  for  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  country ;  they  are 
never  satisfied  without  what  they  consider  a  good  reason ; 
consequently  they  always  imagine  it  must  be  ior  the  purpose 
of  establishing  a  factory  for  trade,  or  else  to  observe  the 
country  for  its  occupation  thereafter.  This  is  the  reason 
why  natives  will  never  give  reliable  information  regai  ding 
even  the  simplest  question  of  direction  of  roads,  rivers, 
distances,  &:c.  It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  exact  infor- 
mation, and  it  is  only  after  being  very  well  acquainted 
with  them  tliat  their  natural  suspicions  are  lulled,  and 
they  will  freely  afford  the  knowledge  desired. 

Their  explanations  of  our  object  in  collecting  insects, 
birds,  and  other  objects  of  natural  history  were  very 
curious.  Our  statements  that  we  did  so  to  show  in  the 
white  man's  country  what  plants,  insects,  birds,  &c.,  were 
to  be  found  in  Africa,  as  ours  were  so  different,  never 
satisfied  them ;  they  always  thought  that  the  specimens 
must  be  worth  a  great  deal  of  money  amongst  the  white 
men,  or  as  others  did  not  devote  themselves  to  collecting, 
it  was  to  make  *'  fetishes "  of  them  when  we  got  home : 
some,  who  considered  themselves  wiser  than  the  others, 
said  it  was  to  copy  designs  for  the  Manchester  prints,  and 
that  they  would  see  the  flowers,  butterflies,  and  birds,  copied 
on  the  trade  cloth  as  soon  as  I  got  back  to  my  country. 

Their  idea  of  my  manufacturing  the  specimens  into 
"fetishes"  was  a  perfectly  natural  one  in  my  case,  as 
my  nickname  at  Ambriz  and  on  the  coast  is  "Endoqui," 
or  I'etish  man,  from  my  having  introduced  the  new  trade 
01  collecting  and  pressing  the  bark  of  the  Adansonia  tree, 
and  from  my  wonderful  performances  in  working  a  small 
steam  engine,  and  putting  up  the  hydraulic  presses  and  a 
corrugated  iron  store,  the  first  they  had  seen,  and  which 
caused  great  surprise. 

I'he  natives  of  the  Congo  Iliver,  from  its  mouth  to  a 
little  above  Porto  da  Lenha,  belong  to  the  Mussurongo 


MUSSUBONGO  TRIBE.— PIRATES.  51 

tribe,  and  are  an  ill-favoured  set — they  are  all  piratical 
robbers,  never  losing  an  opportunity  of  attacking  a  loaded 
barge  or  even  ship,  unless  well  armed  or  keeping  in  the 
centre  of  the  river,  where  the  great  current  prevents 
tliem  from  collecting  around  it  in  their  canoes.  These 
pirates  have  been  continually  attacked  by  the  Portuguese 
and  Englisli  men-of-war,  generally  after  some  more  than 
usually  daring  robbery,  and  have  had  several  severe 
thrashings,  but  without  their  taking  the  slightest  ex- 
ample by  them,  the  next  ship  or  boat  that  runs  aground 
on  the  numerous  sandbanks  being  again  immediately 
attacked.  They  have  taken  several  white  men  prisoners 
on  such  occasions,  and  have  exacted  a  ransom  for  their 
liberation.  They  have,  however,  always  treated  them 
well  whilst  detained  in  their  towns.  The  principal  houses 
now  do  their  trade  by  steamers,  which  the  Mussurongos 
dare  not,  of  course,  attack. 

A  few  years  ago,  a  notorious  pirate  chief  called  Manoel 
Vacca,  who  had  caused  great  loss  to  the  traders  by  his 
piracy,  was  captured  by  them  at  Porto  da  Lenha  and 
delivered  to  the  British  Commodore,  who,  instead  of 
hanging  him  at  the  yard-arm  as  he  deserved,  and  as 
an  example  to  the  nest  of  thieves  of  which  he  was  the 
chief,  took  him  to  St.  Helena,  and  after  some  time 
brought  this  savage  back  carefully  to  Porto  da  Lenlia 
to  his  disconsolate  followers,  who  had  been  unable  to  find 
a  fit  leader  for  their  piratical  robbeiies.  Manoel  Vacca, 
of  course,  quickly  forgot  his  promises  of  amendment  made 
whilst  on  board  the  British  man-of-war,  and  again  became 
the  pest  he  had  formerly  been,  and  when  we  were  up  the 
river  had  exacted,  without  the  slightest  pretence  but  that 
of  revenge,  a  large  payment  from  the  traders  at  Porto  da 
Lenha,  threatening  to  stop  all  trade,  rob  all  boats,  and 
kill  the  "cabindas"  or  crews,  on  the  river,  if  not  im- 
mediately paid,  and  —  on  our  way  from  Boma  —  we 
nariowly  escaped  being  involved  in  a  fight  there,  in  con- 
sequence of  this  scandalous  demand,  which  I  afterwards 
heard  had  been  complied  with.  The  traders  vowed  that 
if  ever  they  caught  him  again,  they  would  not  deliver 

E  2 


52  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

him  to  have  his  education  continued  at  St.  Helena,  but 
would  finij<h  it  on  the  spot. 

The  MussuroDgos  are  very  fond  of  wearing  ankle- rings, 
which,  Avhen  of  brass,  are  Birmiugliam  made,  and  ob- 
tained from  the  traders,  but  in  many  cases  are  made  by 
the  natives  of  iron  forged  by  their  smiths,  and  cast-tin  or 
pewter,  wliich  they  obtain  in  trade  in  the  form  of  little  bars. 
Those  made  by  the  natives  are  invariably  ornamented  with 
one  peculiar  design  (Plate  IV.).  These  rings  are  seldom 
above  a  few  ounces  in  weight,  and  are  worn  by  men  and 
women  alike,  very  different  from  the  natives  of  Cabinda, 
on  the  north  of  the  River  Congo,  Avhose  women  wear  them 
as  large  and  heavy  as  they  can  be  made.  I  have  in  my 
possession  two  copper  ankle-rings  which  I  purchased  for 
six  shawl-handkerchiefs  of  a  little  old  Cabinda  w^oman  at 
Ambriz,  weighing  seven  pounds  each.  It  cost  a  smith 
some  considerable  time  and  trouble  to  take  them  off, 
as  from  their  thickness  it  was  very  difficult  to  wedge 
them  open  without  injury  to  the  woman's  legs.  It  seems 
almost  incredible  that  Fashion  should,  even  among  these 
uncivilized  tribes,  compel  the  dark  sex  to  follow  her  arbi- 
trary exactions,  to  the  extent  of  carrying  the  enormous 
weight  of  fourteen  pounds  of  solid  metal  on  their  naked 
feet.  Till  the  ankles  become  hardened  and  used  to  the 
rings,  the  wearers  are  obliged  to  tie  rags  round  them,  to 
protect  the  skin  from  injury  by  the  heavy  weight. 

The  Eiver  Congo  teems  with  animal  life :  above  Porto 
da  Lenha  hippopotami  are  very  abundant ;  alligators,  of 
course,  swarm,  and  are  very  dangerous. 

Of  the  few  small  fish  that  I  caught  with  a  line  at 
Boraa,  no  less  than  four  were  new  species,  and  have  been 
named  by  Dr.  A.  Giinther,  of  the  Bi  itish  Museum,  as  the 
Bryconoethiops  microstoma,  Alestes  holargyreus,  Disti- 
chodus  affinis,  and  jMormyrus  Monteiri  (si^e  '  Annals  and 
Magazine  of  Natural  History'  for  August,  187:>). 

At  Boma  the  Koodoo  (Traffelaphus  Sj)e7cei,  Sclater)  ante- 
lope must  be  very  abundant,  judging  irom  the  number  of 
times  that  we  there  ate  of  its  delicious  ftesh,  brought  in 
for  sale  by  the  natives.     In  my  former  visits  to  Banana  I 


«  PALM  CllOr:'  53 


made  several  shooting  excursions  to  neighbouring  villages 
of  friendly  natives,  in  company  with  a  Portuguese  called 
Chico,  employed  at  the  Dutch  factory,  who  was  a  keen 
sportsman :  we  generally  started  in  the  evening,  and  slept 
at  a  village  a  few  miles  off,  rising  at  daybreak  to  shoot 
Mild  fowl  in  the  lovely  creeks  and  marshes,  before  the 
sun  forced  us  to  return  to  breakfast  and  the  welcome 
shade  of  the  palm-trees,  under  which  were  the  pretty  huts 
of  the  village. 

Our  breakfast  invariably  consisted  of  *"'  palm  chop,"  a 
delicious  dish  when  properly  prepared,  and  from  the  fresh 
nut.  This  dish  has  been  so  abused  by  travellers,  who  have 
perhaps  hardly  tasted  it  more  than  once,  and  who  might 
have  been  prejudiced  by  the  colour  of  the  oil,  or  the  idea 
that  they  were  eating  waggon-grease  or  palm-soap,  that  I 
must  give  an  accurate  description  of  its  j)reparation  and 
defend  its  excellence  against  its  detractors.  The  nuts  of 
the  oil-palm  {Eldeis  Guineensis)  are  about  the  size  of  large 
chestnuts,  the  inner  pait  being  excessively  hard  and  stony, 
and  containing  an  almond  (technically  **  palm-kernel ").  it 
is  enclosed  or  surrounded  by  a  thin  outer  mass  of  fibre  and 
pulp  containing  the  oil,  and  covered  with  a  rich  red-brown 
skin  or  husk  somewhat  thinner  than  that  on  a  chestnut. 
The  pulpy  oil  and  fibrous  portion  being  separated  from 
the  nuts,  is  melted  in  a  pot  over  the  fire  to  further  sepa- 
rate all  the  fibres,  and  tlie  rich,  thick  oily  mass  is  then 
ready  to  be  added  to  a  dismembered  duck  or  fowl,  or  any 
other  kind  of  meat,  and  the  whole  stewed  gently  together 
with  the  proper  amount  of  water,  with  the  addition  of 
ground  green  Chili  peppers  and  salt  to  taste,  until  it  is 
quite  done,  and  in  appearance  like  a  rich  curry,  with  which 
it  can  best  be  compared ;  a  squeeze  of  lime  or  lemon  is  a 
great  improvement.  The  flavour  of  this  dish  is  not  at  all 
like  what  might  be  expected  from  the  strong  smell  of 
the  often  rancid  palm  oil  received  in  this  country.  It  is 
always  eaten  with  some  boiled  preparation  of  maize  flour, 
or  better  still  of  meal  from  tlie  mandioca  root.  A  good 
cook  will  make  a  very  good  '-palm  chop"  with  fre^h  oil; 
in  the  absence  of  the  new  nuts. 


C4  ANGOLA  AND  THE  PJVER  CONGO, 

Another  excellent  disli  is  the  ordinary  haricot  bean 
stewed  with  palm  oil  and  Chili  peppers  till  quite  tender 
and  thick. 

It  is  from  the  oil-palm  that  the  finest  palm  wine  is 
obtained,  and  it  is  curious  how  few  travellers  have  accu- 
rately described  this  or  its  properties.  The  blacks  ascend 
the  trees  by  the  aid  of  a  ring  formed  of  a  stout  piece  of  the 
stem  of  a  creeper  which  is  excessively  strong  and  supple  : 
one  end  is  tied  into  a  loop,  and  the  other  thrown  round 
the  tree  is  passed  through  the  loop  and  bent  back  (Plate 
IV.) :  the  end  being  secured  forms  a  ready  and  perfectly 
safe  ring,  which  the  operator  passes  over  his  waist.  The 
stumps  of  the  fallen  leaves  form  projections  which  very 
much  assist  him  in  getting  up  the  tree.  This  is  done  by 
taking  hold  of  the  ring  with  each  hand,  and  by  a  suc- 
cession of  jerks,  the  climber  is  soon  up  at  the  top,  with 
his  empty  gourds  hung  round  his  neck.  With  a  pointed 
instrument  he  taps  the  tree  at  the  crown,  and  attaches 
the  mouth  of  a  gourd  to  the  aperture,  or  he  takes  advan- 
tage of  the  grooved  stem  of  a  leaf  cut  off  short  to 
use  as  a  channel  for  the  sap  to  flow  into  the  gourd  sus- 
pended below.  This  operation  is  performed  in  the  evening, 
and  in  the  early  morning  the  gourds  are  brought  down 
with  the  sap  or  juice  that  has  collected  in  them  during 
the  night.  The  palm  wine  is  now  a  slightly  milky  fluid, 
in  appearance  as  nearly  as  possible  like  the  milk  in  the 
ordinary  cocoa-nut,  having  very  much  the  same  flavour, 
only  sweeter  and  more  luscious. 

When  cool  in  the  morning,  as  brought  down  fresh  from 
the  tree,  it  is  perfectly  delicious,  without  the  slightest 
trace  of  fermentation,  and  of  course  not  in  the  least  intoxi- 
cating ;  in  a  few  hours,  or  very  shortly  if  collected  or  kept 
in  old  gourds  in  which  wine  has  previously  fermented,  it 
begins  to  ferment  rapidly,  becoming  acid  and  intoxicating  ; 
not  so  much  from  the  quantity  of  alcohol  produced,  I 
believe,  as  from  its  being  contained  in  a  strongly  efferv- 
escent medium,  and  being  drunk  by  the  natives  in  the 
hot  time  of  the  day,  and  when  they  are  heated  by 
travelling,  &c.  '  Even  in  the  morning  the  wine  has  some- 


FALM  WINE.  55 

times  a  slightly  acid  flavour,  if  it  has  been  collected  in 
an  old  calabash.  We  used  to  have  new  gourds  employed 
for  ourselves.  The  uatiA^es,  again,  can  never  be  trusted  to 
bring  it  for  sale  perfectly  fresh  or  pure,  always  mixing  it 
with  water  or  old  wine,  and  of  course  spoiling  it,  and 
I  have  known  the  rascals  take  Mater  in  the  calabashes 
up  the  tree  to  mix  with  the  pure  juice,  when  they  thought 
they  should  not  have  an  opportunity  of  adulterating  it 
before  selling  it. 

Tiie  smell  of  the  palm  wine,  as  it  dries  on  the  tree  tops 
where  they  have  been  punctured,  is  very  attractive  to 
butterflies,  bees,  wasps,  and  other  insects,  and  these  in 
their  turn  attract  the  many  species  of  insectivorous  birds. 
This  is  more  particularly  the  case  with  the  beautiful  little 
sun-birds  (Nectarinise) ,  always  seen  in  numbers  busily 
employed  in  capturing  their  insect  prey,  actively  flitting 
from  top  to  top,  and  darting  in  and  out  of  the  leaf-stems, 
with  a  little  song  very  much  like  that  of  the  cock-robin. 


(    56    ) 


CHAPTEE  V. 

COUNTRY  FROM  THE  RIVER  CONGO  TO  AMBRIZ — VEGETA- 
TION—  TRADING — CIVILIZATION — COMMERCE — PRODUCTS 
— IVORY — MUSSERRA — SLEEP  DISEASE— SALT — MINERAL 
PITCH. 

The  soutliern  point,  at  the  entrance  of  the  River  Congo, 
is  called  Point  Padrao,  from  a  marble  "Padrao,"  or  monu- 
ment raised  by  tlie  Portuguese  to  commemorate  the  dis- 
covery of  the  River  Congo  by  Diogo  Cam,  in  1485.  At  a 
short  distance  from  it  there  formerly  existed  a  monastery 
and  missionary  establishment  dedicated  to  Santo  Antonio. 
Tiiat  part  of  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  opposite 
Banana  is  called  Santo  Antonio  to  this  day,  and  a  few  years 
ago  a  Portuguese  trader  opened  a  house  there  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trade ;  in  this  he  was  followed  by  the  agent  of  a 
Liverpool  firm,  but  the  result,  naturally  to  be  foreseen, 
took  place,  and  both  factories  were  robbed  and  burnt  down 
by  the  rascally  Mussurongos.  Some  time  before  this  took 
place,  I  was  waiting  at  Banana  for  some  means  of  convey- 
ance by  sea  to  Ambriz,  but  none  appearing,  I  determined, 
in  company  with  a  Brazilian  who  was  also  desirous  of  pro- 
ceeding to  the  same  place,  to  cross  over  to  Santo  Antonio, 
and  try  if  we  could  induce  the  natives  to  allow  us  to 
pass  thence  overland  to  Cabepa  da  Cobra.  This  we  did, 
and  remained  at  the  trader's  house  till  we  got  carriers 
and  permission,  on  making  a  small  present  to  the  king 
of  Santo  Antonio  town,  to  pass  through.  No  white  man 
had  been  allowed  to  do  so  for  many  years. 

We  started  one  night  as  soon  as  the  moon  rosp,  about  one 
o'clock,  and  after  travelling  a  couple  of  hours,  almost  the 
whole  time  over  marshy  ground  and  through  a  dry  wood, 
which  we  had  to  pass  on  foot, — as  it  was  a  fetish  wood  and 
it  would  have  been  highly  unlucky  to  cross  it  in  our  ham* 


VEGETATION. 


mocks, — we  arrived  at  the  town  of  Santo  Antonio,  which 
appeared  large  and  well  populated.  Here  we  rested  for  a 
little  while,  whilst  we  got  some  fresh  carriers,  and  the  king 
and  several  of  the  natives  came  to  see  us  and  received  two 
pieces  of  cotton  handkerchiefs,  and  a  couple  of  gallons 
of  rum,  which  we  had  brought  for  them.  The  old  bells 
of  tlie  monastery  are  still  preserved  in  the  town,  hung 
from  trees,  and  we  were  treated  with  a  din  on  them  in 
return  for  our  present.  We  then  continued  our  journey 
over  good  dry  ground  till  we  arrived  at  Cabepa  da  Cobra, 
or  "Snake's  Head,"  in  time  for  a  late  breakfast  at  the 
house  of  a  Portuguese  trader.  Here  Senhor  Fernando  Jose 
da  Silva  presented  me  with  a  letter  of  introduction  he  had 
brought  with  him  from  Lisbon  some  years  previously,  and 
which  he  had  not  before  had  an  opportunity  of  delivering. 

I  at  once  engaged  him  to  help  me  in  developing  my  dis- 
covery of  the  application  of  the  fibre  of  the  Baobab  {Adan- 
sonia  digitata)  to  paper-making,  and  in  introducing  among 
the  natives  the  new  industry  of  collecting  and  preparing  it, 
and  I  must  here  render  him  a  tribute  of  gratitude  for  his 
friendship  and  the  unceasing  activity  and  energy  with 
which  he  has  laboured  to  assist  me  in  permanently  estab- 
lishing this  new  trade,  in  the  face  of  the  greatest  difficul- 
ties, privations,  and  hard  work  for  long  years  on  the  coast. 

The  coast  line  from  Cabepa  da  Cobra  to  Ambriz  is  prin- 
cipally composed  of  red  blutfs  and  cliffs,  and  the  road  or 
path  is  generally  near  the  edge  of  the  cliffs,  affording  fine 
views  of  the  sea  and  surf-beaten  beach  below.  The  country 
is  arid  and  thinly  wooded,  and  is  covered  with  hard,  wiry, 
branched  grass;  and  the  curious  Mateba  palm  grows 
in  great  abundance  in  the  country  from  the  lliver  Congo 
to  Moculla,  where  it  is  replaced  by  the  Cashew  tree  as  lar 
as  Ambrizzette.  The  flat-leaved  Sanseviera  {S.  longijiora) 
is  extremely  abundant,  and  disappears  soutli  almost  en- 
tirely about  Musserra,  where  it  is  in  its  turn  replaced  by 
Sanseviera  Angolensis.  These  changes  are  very  curious 
and  striking,  being  so  well  marked  on  a  comparatively 
small  extent  of  coast.  The  Baobab  tree  is  everywhere  seen, 
its  vast  trunk  throwing,  by  comparison,  all  other  trees  into 


58  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 

insignificance :  it  is  less  abundant  perhaps  from  tlie  Eiver 
Congo  to  about  Ambrizzette  ;  from  that  place,  southwards, 
the  country  is  one  open  forest  of  it. 

The  natives  as  far  as  Mangne  Grande  are  Mussurongos. 
From  this  to  Ambriz  tliey  are  a  branch  of  the  Musliicongo 
tribe.  The  Mussurongos  are  at  present  an  indolent  set,  Lut 
there  aie  signs  that  they  are  becoming  more  industrious, i:o\v 
that  they  have  given  up  all  hope  of  seeing  the  slave-trade 
again  established,  which  enabled  them,  as  one  said  to  me,  to 
be  rich  without  working.  Since  the  last  slave  was  shipped 
from  this  part  of  the  coast,  about  the  year  1868,  the  develop- 
ment of  produce  in  the  country  itself  and  from  the  interior 
has  been  very  great  indeed,  and  promises  in  a  few  years 
to  be  still  more,  and  very  important  in  amount.  This  will 
be  more  particularly  the  case  when  the  present  system 
ceases,  by  which  the  natives  of  the  coast  towns  act  as  middle- 
men to  the  natives  from  the  interior.  At  present  nearly 
the  entire  bulk  of  the  produce  comes  from  the  interior,  no 
extensive  good  plantation  grounds  being  found  before  ar- 
riving at  the  first  elevation,  "which  ^\Q  have  seen  to  com- 
mence at  from  thirty  to  sixty  miles  from  the  coast,  the  ivory 
coming  from  not  less  than  2(J0  to  300  miles. 

The  blacks,  on  arriving  from  the  interior,  put  up  at  the 
towns  on  the  coast,  where  the  natives,  having  been  in 
constant  intercourse  with  the  whites  for  years,  all  speak 
Portngnese,  and  many  of  them  English.  It  is  a  fact  tiiat 
the  natives  speak  Portuguese  more  correctly  than  they 
do  English,  which  I  attribute  to  the  good  custom  of  the 
Portuguese  very  seldom  stooping  to  murder  their  lan- 
guage when  speaking  to  the  blacks,  which  the  English 
universally  do,  under  the  mistaken  idea  of  rendering 
themselves  more  intelligible. 

These  blacks  act  as  interpreters  and  brokers,  and  are 
thereby  enabled  to  satisfy  fully  and  successfully  their 
innate  propensity  for  roguery  by  cheating  the  natives 
from  the  interior  to  their  heaits'  content.  They  bargain 
the  produce  with  the  white  men  at  one  price,  telling  the 
natives  always  that  it  is  for  a  much  lower  sum,  of  course 
pocketing  the  difierence,  sometimes  amounting  to  one-half 


TRADING.  59 


and  more.  It  is  a  common  thing  to  be  asked  to  have 
only  so  much, — naming  the  amount  for  which  they  have 
pretended  to  have  sold  the  produce, — paid  whilst  the 
owners  are  present,  and  getting  a  **  book "  or  ticket  for 
the  rest,  which  they  receive  from  the  white  trader  at 
another  time. 

It  has  been  found  impossible  to  do  away  with  this  custom, 
as  the  white  men  are  almost  dependent  for  their  trnde  upon 
these  rogues,  called  "  linguisteres  "  (derived  evidently  fi  om 
the  Portuguese  term  "  lingoa,"  *•  tongue,"  or  interpreter). 
These  have  their  defence  for  the  custom,  first,  that  it  has 
always  existed,  a  great  argument  with  the  conservative 
negro  race ;  secondly,  that  it  is  their  commission  for  looking 
after  the  interests  of  the  natives  from  the  interior,  who  would 
otherwise  be  cheated  by  tlie  white  men,  who  woukl  take 
advantage  of  their  want  of  knowledge  of  the  selling  prices 
on  the  coast ;  and  thirdly  that  they  have  to  make  presents 
to  the  natives  out  of  these  gains,  and  give  them  diink  at 
the  towns  to  keep  them  as  their  customers  and  prevent 
their  going  to  other  towns  or  linguisteres.  The  natives 
from  the  interior,  again,  are  very  sus[)icious  and  afraid  of 
the  white  man,  and  they  would  hardly  dare  approach  him 
without  being  under  the  protection  of  the  coast  negroes. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  development  of  the  trade  from 
the  interior  would  increase  greatly  if  the  natives  and  owners 
of  the  produce  obtained  the  full  price  paid  by  the  white 
men.  There  is  almost  a  certainty,  however,  that  the 
system  will  not  last  much  longer,  as  the  natives  are  be- 
ginning to  find  out  how  they  are  cheated  by  their  coast 
brethren,  and  are  already,  in  many  cases,  trading  direct 
with  the  white  men. 

The  system  adopted  in  trading  or  bartering  with  the 
natives  on  the  coast,  comprehended  between  the  River 
Congo  and  Ambriz,  is  somewhat  complicated  and  curious. 
All  produce  (except  ivorv)  on  being  brought  to  the  trader, 
is  put  on  the  scales  and  the  price  is  agreed,  in  "longs"  in 
English,  or  "pe9as"  in  Portuguese.  This  *'pe9a"  or 
"long"  is  the  unit  of  exchange  to  which  all  the  multifa- 
rious articles  of  barter  are  referred :  for  instance,  six  yards 


60  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lUVER  CONGO. 

of  the  ordinary  kinds  of  cotton  cloth,  such  as  stripes, 
unbleached  calico,  blue  prints,  cotton  checks,  are  equal  to 
a  "long;"  a  yard  and  a  half  of  red  or  blue  baize,  five 
bottles  of  rum,  five  brass  rods,  one  cotton  umbrella, 
3000  blue  glass  beads,  three,  six,  eight,  or  twelve  cotton 
handkerchiefs,  according  to  size  and  quality,  are  also 
severally  equal  to  a  *-long;"  articles  of  greater  value, 
such  as  kegs  of  powder,  guns,  swords,  knives,  &c.,  are  two 
or  more  "]ongs"  each. 

As  each  bag  of  coifee  (or  other  produce)  is  weighed  and 
settled  for,  the  buyer  writes  the  number  of  "longs"  that 
has  been  agreed  upon  on  a  small  piece  of  paper  called  by 
the  natives  "Mucanda,"  or,  by  those  who  speak  English, 
a  "  book ;"  the  bm^r  continues  his  weighing  and  pur- 
chasing, and  the  "  books "  are  taken  by  the  natives  to 
the  store,  which  is  fitted  up  like  a  shop,  with  shelves  on 
which  are  arranged  at  hand  the  many  different  kinds 
of  cloth,  &c.,  employed  in  barter.  The  natives  cannot 
be  trusted  in  the  shop,  which  contains  only  the  white 
man  and  his  "Mafuca"  or  head  man,  so  the  noisy, 
Avrangling  mob  is  paid  from  it  through  a  small  window. 
We  will  suppose,  for  instance,  that  a  "book"  is  pre- 
sented at  the  window,  on  which  is  marked  twenty 
"  longs  "  as  the  payment  of  a  bag  of  coffee ;  the  trader 
takes — 

A  gun — value 

One  keg  powder     . 

One  piece  of  18  yards  stripes 

One  of  18  yards  grey  calico 

One  of  18  yards  checks  . 

Eight  handkerchiefs 

Five  bottles  of  rum 

One  table-knife 

Three  thousand  beads     . 

Five  brass  rods 

Total 


4 

longs 

2 

jj 

3 

j> 

3 

j> 

3 

jj 

j> 

» 

a 

>' 

J5 

20 

longs. 

I 


TRADING.  CI 


This  is  now  passed  out,  the  trader  making  such  altera- 
tions in  the  payment  as  the  natives  desire  within  certain 
limits,  exchanging,  for  instance,  the  handkerchiefs  for  red 
baize,  or  the  piece  of  calico  for  a  sword,  but  there  is  an 
understanding  that  the  payment  is  to  be  a  certain  selec- 
tion, from  which  only  small  deviations  can  be  made.  If 
such  were  not  the  case  the  payment  of  100  or  more 
"  books "  in  a  short  time  would  be  impossible.  It  is  by 
no  means  an  easy  task  to  trade  quickly  and  successfully 
with  the  natives ;  long  practice,  and  great  patience  and 
good  temper  are  necessary.  A  good  trader,  who  is  used 
to  the  business,  can  pay  the  same  *''book"  for  a  great 
deal  less  value  than  one  unaccustomed  to  the  work, 
and  the  natives  will  often  refuse  to  trade  with  a  new 
man  or  one  not  used  to  their  ways  and  long  known  to 
them. 

It  is  rather  startling  to  a  stranger  to  see  and  hear  a 
couple  of  hundred  blacks  all  shouting  at  the  top  of  their 
voices  to  be  paid  first,  and  quarrelling  and  fighting  over 
their  payment,  or  pretending  to  be  dissatisfied  with  it,  or 
that  they  have  been  wrongly  paid. 

Ivory  is  purchased  in  a  different  manner ;  the  tusk  is 
weighed,  and  an  offer  made  by  the  trader  in  guns,  barrels 
of  powder  and  "  longs,"  generally  in  about  the  proportion 
of  one  gun,  one  keg  of  powder,  and  two  longs  ;  thus  a  tusk, 
we  will  say,  is  purchased  for  twelve  gnns,  twelve  kegs  of 
powder,  and  twenty-four  "longs."  The  natives  do  not 
receive  this,  but  a  more  complicated  payment  takes  place ; 
of  the  twelve  guns  they  only  receive  four,  the  rest  being 
principally  in  cloth,  on  a  scale  well  understood,  the  guns 
being  calculated  generally  at  four  "  longs  "  each ;  the  same 
process  is  carried  out  with  the  kegs  of  powder,  only  a 
certain  number  being  actually  given  in  that  commodity : 
the  twenty-four  "  longs  "  are  given  in  cloth  and  a  variety 
of  small  objects,  including  razors,  cheap  looking-glasses, 
padlocks,  ankle  rings,  playing-cards,  empty  bottles,  hoop- 
iron  off  the  bales,  brass  tacks,  glass  tumblers  and  decanters, 
different  kinds  of  beads,  &c.  The  amount  first  agreed 
upon  is  called  the  "rough  bundle,"  and  the  trader,  by 


62  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

adding  the  value  of  tbe  guns,  powder,  and  "  lonirs,"  and 
dividing  tie  sum  by  the  weight  of  the  tusk,  can  tell  very 
nearly  what  the  pound  of  ivory  will  cost  when  rednced  by 
the  substitution  of  the  various  numerous  articles  given  in 
lieu  of  the  guns  and  powder  agreed  upon  on  the  purchase 
of  the  tusk. 

The  small  extent  of  coast  comprised  between  Ambriz 
and  the  lliver  Congo  is  a  striking  example  of  the  won- 
derful increase  of  trade,  and  consequently  industry,  among 
the  negroes,  since  the  extinction  of  the  slave  trade,  and 
evidences  also  the  great  fertility  of  a  country  that  with 
the  rudest  appliances  can  produce  such  quantities  of 
valuable  produce;  about  a  dozen  years  ago,  a  very  few 
tons,  with  the  exception  of  ivory,  of  ground-nuts,  coffee, 
and  gum  copal  only,  were  exported.  Last  year  .the 
exports  from  Ambriz  to,  and  not  including,  the  River 
Congo,  were  as  follows : — 


Adansonia  fibre 

.   1500  tons 

Ground-nuts 

.   7500     „ 

Coffee  . 

.   1000     „ 

Sesamum  seed 

.     650     „ 

Red  gum  copal 

.       50     „ 

White  Angola  gum 

.     100     „ 

India-rubber 

.     400     „ 

Palm-kernel 

.     100     „ 

Ivory   .          .          .          . 

.     185    „ 

Besides  this  amount  of  ])roduce,  the  value  of  which  may 
be  estimated  at  over  300,000Z.,  a  considerable  quantity  of 
ground-nuts  find  their  way  to  the  River  Congo  from  the 
interior  of  the  country  I  am  now  describing.  This  is 
already  a  most  gratifying  and  interesting  result,  and  one 
from  which  valuable  lessons  are  to  be  deduced,  when  we 
come  to  compare  it  with  what  has  taken  place  in  other 
parts  of  the  coast,  most  notably  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bouring country  to  the  south  in  the  possession  of  the 
Portuguese,  and  is  a  splendid  example  of  the  true 
principles  by  which  the  African  race  z?i  Africa  can  be 
successfully  civilized,  and  the  only  manner  in  which  the 


CIVILIZATION,  63 


riches  of  the  West  Coast  can  be  developed  and  made 
available  to  the  wants  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  < 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  our  attempts  to  civilize 
the  negro  by  purely  missionary  efforts  have  bsen  a  signal 
failure.  I  will  say  more:  so  long  as  missionaiy  work 
consists  of  simply  denominational  instruction  and  con- 
troversy, as  at  present,  it  is  mischievous  and  retarding 
to  the  material  and  mental  development  and  prosperity 
of  Africa;  Looking  at  it  irom  a  purely  religious  point  of 
view,  I  emphatically  deny  that  a  single  native  has  been 
converted,  otherwise  than  in  name  or  outward  appearance, 
to  Christianity  or  Christian  morality.  Civih'zation  on  the 
coast  has  certainly  succeeded  in  putting  a  considerable 
number  of  blacks  into  uncomfortable  boots  and  tight  and 
starched  clothes,  and  their  women  outwardly  into  grotesque 
caricatures  of  Paris  fashions,  as  any  one  may  witness  by 
spending  even  only  a  few  hours  at  Sierra  Leone,  for 
instance,  where  he  will  see  the  inoffensive  native  trans- 
formed into  a  miserable  strutting  bully,  insolent  to  the 
highest  degree,  taught  to  consider  himself  the  equal  of  the 
white  man,  as  lull  as  his  black  skin  can  hold  of  over- 
weening conceit,  cant,  and  hypocrisy,  without  a  vice  or 
superstition  removed,  or  a  virtue  engrafted  in  his  nature, 
and  calling  the  native  whose  industry  supplies  him  with 
food,  "  You  nigga !  Sah ! " 

This  is  the  broad  and  characteristic  effect  of  present  mis- 
sions on  the  coast,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  and  they  will  continue 
to  be  fruitless  as  long  as  they  are  not  combined  with  indus- 
trial training.  That  was  the  secret  of  the  success  of  the 
old  Catholic  missionaries  in  Angola ;  they  were  traders  as 
well,  and  taught  the  natives  the  industrial  arts,  gardening, 
and  agriculture.  What  if  they  derived  riches  and  power, 
the  envy  of  which  led  to  their  expulsion,  from  their  efforts, 
so  long  as  they  made  good  carpenters,  smiths,  masons,  and 
other  artificers  of  the  natives,  and  created  in  them  a  new 
life,  and  the  desire  for  better  clothing,  houses,  and  food, 
which  they  could  only  satisfy  by  work  and  industry  ? 

On  landing  at  Bonny  from  the  steamer,  to  collect  plants 
and  insects  on  the  small  piece  of  dry  land  opposite  tho 


64  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

hulks  ill  the  river,  we  saw  the  pretty  little  church  and 
schoolroom  belonging  to  the  mission  there,  in  which  were 
a  number  of  children  repeating  together,  over  and  over 
again,  like  a  number  of  parrots,  '*  I  know  dat  I  hab  a  soul, 
because  I  feel  someting  widin  me."  Only  a  few  yards  off 
was  the  village  in  which  they  lived,  and  a  large  fetish 
house  exactly  the  same  as  any  other ;  not  a  sign  of  work 
of  any  kind,  not  a  square  }'ard  of  ground  cleared  or  planted, 
not  a  fowl  or  domestic  animal,  save  a  lean  cur  or  two,  to 
be  seen ;  the  children,  and  even  big  girls,  or  young  women, 
in  a  complete  state  of  nudity, — nothing  in  fact  to  show  any 
ditlerence  whatever  from  any  other  town  in  the  country. 
Can  any  one  believe  for  a  moment  that  the  instruction 
afforded  by  that  mission  was  of  any  avail,  that  the  few 
irksome  hours  of  repetition  of  texts,  writing  and  reading, 
explanations  of  the  Bible,  &c.,  could  in  the  least  counteract 
the  influence  of  the  fetish  house  in  the  village,  or  the 
superstition  and  ignorance  of  the  children's  parents  and 
elders,  or  remove  the  fears  and  prejudices  imbibed  with 
their  mothers'  milk  ?  Is  it  not  more  natural  to  suppose,  as 
is  well  known  to  be  the  case,  that  this  imperfect  training 
is  just  sufficient  to  enable  them  when  older  to  be  sharper, 
more  dishonest,  and  greater  rogues  than  their  fellows,  and 
to  ape  the  vices  of  the  white  man,  without  copying  his 
virtues  or  his  industry  ? 

I  remember  at  Ambrizzette  a  black  who  could  read  and 
wn  ite,  forging  a  number  of  *•'  books "  for  gunpowder,  and 
thus  robbing  some  of  the  houses  to  a  considerable  extent. 
The  natives  wanted  to  kill  him,  but  on  the  white  men 
interceding  for  his  life,  they  chopped  off  the  fingers  of  his 
right  hand  with  a  raatchet,  to  prevent  his  forging  any 
more.  Educated  blacks,  or  even  mulattoes,  cannot  be 
trusted  as  clerks,  with  the  charge  of  factories,  or  in  other 
responsible  situations.  I  do  not  remember  a  case  in 
which  loss  did  not  sooner  or  later  result  from  their 
employment. 

Trade  or  commerce  is  the  great  civilizer  of  Africa,  and 
the  small  part  of  the  coast  we  are  treating  of  at  present  is 
a  proof  of  this.     Commerce  has  had  undisturbed  sway  for 


COMMERCE.  65 


a  few  years,  with  the  extraordinary  result  already  stated. 
The  natives  have  not  been  spoilt  as  yet  by  contact  with 
the  evils  of  an  ignorant  and  oppressive  occupation,  as  in 
Portuguese  Angohi,  or,  as  on  the  British  West  Coast  on 
the  other  hand,  by  having  been  preached  by  a  dozen 
opposed  and  rival  sects  into  a  muddled  state  of  assumed 
and  insolent  equality  with  the  white  race,  whom  they  hate 
in  tlieir  inmost  hearts,  from  the  consciousness  of  their 
infinite  inferiority. 

Commerce  has  spread  before  them  a  tempting  array  of 
Manchester  ^ooda,  guns,  gunpowder,  blankets,  rugs,  coats, 
knives,  looking-glasses,  playing-cards,  rum  and  gin, 
matchets,  tumblers  and  decanters,  beads,  silver  and  biass 
ankle-rings,  and  many  other  useful  or  ornamental  articles, 
witliout  any  duties  to  pay,  or  any  compulsory  regulations 
of  passports,  papers,  tolls,  or  hindrances  of  any  kind ;  the 
only  key  necessary  is  a  bag  of  produce  on  the  scales ;  a 
fair,  and  in  many  cases,  even  high  price  is  given  in  return, 
and  every  seller  picks  and  chooses  what  he  or  she  desires ; — 
and  let  not  rum  or  gin  be  abused  for  its  great  share  in  the 
development  of  produce,  for  it  is  a  powerful  incentive  to 
work.  A  black  dearly  loves  his  drop  of  drink ;  he  will 
very  often  do  for  a  bottle  of  rum,  what  he  would  not  even 
thiidj:  of  stirring  for,  for  three  times  the  value  in  any  other 
article,  and  yet  they  are  not  great  drunkards,  as  we  shall 
see,  when  describing  their  customs ;  they  so  divide  any 
portion  of  spirits  they  can  obtain,  that  it  does  them  no 
harm  whatever.  The  rum  and  gin,  though  of  the  very 
cheapest  description,  is  pure  and  unsopliisticated,  the 
only  adulteration  being  an  innocent  one  practised  by  the 
traders,  who  generally  mix  a  liberal  proportion  of  water 
with  it. 

When  a  black  does  give  way  to  intemperate  habits,  his 
friends  make  him  undergo  "fetish"  that  he  shall  drink  no 
more,  and  such  is  their  dread  of  consequences  if  they  do 
not  keep  their  '*  fetish"  promise,  that  I  have  known  very 
few  cases  of  t+ieir  breaking  the  *'  pledge.''  Sometimes  a 
black  is  "  fetished  "  for  rum  or  other  spirit-drinking,  but 
not  against  wine,  which  they  are  beginning  to  consume  in 

V 


G6  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

increasing  quantity ;  the  kind  tliey  are  supplied  with  being 
the  ordinary  red  Lisbon. 

In  describing  the  different  kinds  of  produce  of  this 
country,  the  first  on  the  list,  the  inner  bark  of  the 
*'  Baobab,"  or  Adansonia  digitata,  claims  j)recedence, 
it  being  the  latest  discovery  of  an  African  production  as 
an  article  of  commerce,  and  of  great  importance  from  its 
application  to  paper-making,  and  also  from  its  opening  a 
new  and  large  field  to  native  industry. 

It  was  on  my  first  arrival  in  Ambriz  in  February  1858, 
that  this  substance  struck  me  as  being  fit  for  making 
good  paper:  a  few  simyjle  experiments  enabled  me  to 
make  specimens  of  bleached  fibre  and  pulp  from  it,  prov- 
ing to  me  conclusively  its  suitableness  for  that  purpose. 

Having  been  engaged  in  mining  in  Angola,  it  was  not 
till  the  year  1865  that  I  finally  determined  to  proceed  to 
Ambriz,  with  the  view  of  developing  my  discovery,  and 
I  have  ever  since  been  actively  engaged  in  establishing 
houses  on  the  part  of  the  coast  I  am  now  describing,  for 
bartering  tlie  Adansonia  fibre, — pressing  and  shipping  the 
same  to  England.  In  my  long  and  arduous  task  I  have 
met  with  more  than  the  ordinary  amount  of  losses  and 
disappointments,  from  commercial  failures  and  other  causes 
that  seem  to  fall  to  the  lot  of  discoverers  or  inventors  in 
general ;  but  I  have  triumphed  over  all  obstacles  and 
prejudices,  and  have  established  its  success  as  a  paper- 
making  material  beyond  any  doubt. 

The  Baobab,  or  *' monkey  fruit  tree,"  is  well  known 
from  descriptions  as  one  of  the  giants  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  It  rears  its  vast  trunk  thirty  or  forty  feet  high, 
with  a  diameter  of  three  or  four  feet  in  the  baby  plants,  to 
usually  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  the  older  trees.  Adansonias 
of  more  than  thirty  feet  in  diameter  are  rare,  but  they 
have  been  measured  of  as  great  a  size  as  over  100  feet 
in  circumference;  the  thickest  trunk  I  have  ever  seen 
was  sixty-four  feet  in  circumference,  and  was  clean  and 
unbroken,  without  a  crack  on  its  smooth  ba*k. 

The  leaves  and  flowers  are  produced  during  the  rainy 
season,  and  are  succeeded  by  the  long  pendant  gourd-liko 


PRODUCTS.  67 


fruit,  like  hanging  notes  of  admiration,  giving  tlie  gigantic, 
nearly  leafless  tree  a  most  singular  appearance.  Millions 
of  these  trees  cover  the  whole  of  Angola,  as  they  do  in 
fact  the  whole  of  tropical  Africa,  sufficient  to  supply  an 
incalculable  amount  of  paper  material  for  years,  but  for 
the  indolence  of  the  negro  race.  I  have  no  doubt,  liow- 
ever,  that  they  will  in  time  follow  the  example  of  the 
Ambriz  blacks,  and  a  very  large  trade  be  developed  as  in 
the  case  of  the  palm-oil  and  the  india-rubber  trade. 

The  leaves  of  the  Baobab  when  young  are  good  to  eat, 
boiled  as  a  vegetable,  and  in  appearance  are  somewhat 
like  a  new  horse-chestnut  leaf  about  half  grown,  and  of  a 
bright  green ;  the  flowers  are  very  handsome,  being  a 
large  ball  of  pure  white,  about  four  or  five  inches  across, 
exactly  like  a  powder  puff,  with  a  crown  of  large  thick 
white  petals  turned  back  on  top  of  it.  After  a  few  days 
the  flowers  become  tipped  with  yellow,  before  dropping 
from  the  tree.  The  trunks,  even  of  the  largest  trees, 
have  properly  speaking  no  wood,  that  is  to  say,  a  plank 
could  not  be  sawn  out  of  it,  or  any  work  made  from  it ; — a 
section  of  a  trunk  shows  first  a  thin  outer  skin  or  covering 
of  a  very  peculiar  pinkish  ashen  white,  somewhat  like  that 
of  a  silver  birch,  some  appearing  quite  silvery  against  the 
colour  of  other  trees  and  foliage ;  then  there  Ibllows  about 
an  inch  of  substance  like  hard  mangold  wurzel  with  fibres, 
then  the  thick  coat  of  fibrous  inner  bark,  which  readily 
separates ;  next,  the  young  wood,  very  much  like  the  inner 
bark,  and  lastly,  layers  of  more  woody  texture,  divided  or 
separated  by  irregular  layers  of  pith,  the  most  woody 
parts  having  no  more  firmness  than  perfectly  rotten  mil- 
dewed pine  wood,  and  breaking  quite  readily  with  a  ragged 
and  very  fibrous  fracture. 

The  centre  of  these  vast  trunks  easily  rots,  and  becomes 
hollow  from  the  top,  where  the  stem  generally  branches  off 
laterally  into  two  or  three  huge  arms.  This  is  taken  ad- 
vantage of  by  the  Quissama  blacks,  who  inhabit  the  south 
bank  of  the  River  Quanza,  to  use  them  as  tanks  to  store  rain- 
water in  against  the  dry  season,  as  it  is  a  country  very 
destitute  of  watei*. 

F  2 


68  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

The  hollow  Baobabs  are  very  seldom  open  from  the 
sides ;  I  only  remember  one  large  tree  of  this  kind  in 
which  an  aperture  like  a  door  gave  admittance  into  the 
em})ty  centre ;  this  was  in  Cambambe,  and  the  hollow  was 
large  enongh  for  two  of  us  to  sit  inside,  with  a  small  box 
between  us  fur  a  table,  and  have  our  breakfast,  and  room 
to  spare  for  our  cook  to  attend  on  us.  Whilst  we  were 
comfortably  enjoying  our  meal  in  its  grateful  shade,  our 
cook  suddenly  gave  a  shout  and  rushed  out,  crying 
"  Nhoca,  Nhoca,"  "  Snake,  Snake,"  and  sure  enough  there 
was  a  fine  fellow  about  four  feet  long  overhead,  quietly 
surveying  our  operations ;  a  charge  of  shot  settled  him 
very  quickly,  and  down  he  fell,  a  victim  to  his  curiosity. 

The  inner  bark  of  the  Adansonia  is  obtained  by  first 
chopping  oif  the  softer  outer  bark  of  the  tree  with  a 
matcliet,  and  then  stripping  the  inner  bark  in  large 
sheets.  The  smaller  trees  produce  the  finest  and  softest 
fibre,  and  it  is  taken  off  all  round  the  tree,  which  does  not 
appear  to  suffer  much  iujury.  A  fresh  layer  of  bark 
glows,  and  is  thick  enough  to  take  off  in  about  six  to 
eight  years.  The  bark  is  only  taken  off  the  large  trunks 
in  places  where  the  outer  bark  is  smooth  and  free  from 
knobs,  &c.  In  the  course  of  time,  the  trunk  growing, 
shows  the  scar,  high  above  the  ground,  of  the  place  where 
the  bark  has  been  taken  off  years  before.  The  layers  of 
inner  bark  when  cut  are  saturated  with  sap ;  the  pieces 
are  beaten  with  a  stick  to  soften  them,  and  shaken  to  get 
rid  of  some  of  the  pithy  matter  attached  to  them.  The 
bark  is  then  diaed  in  the  sun,  when  it  is  ready  for 
pressing  into  bales,  and  shipping. 

This  inner  bark  is  put  to  a  variety  of  uses  by  the 
natives.  It  is  twisted  into  string  and  rope  for  all  sorts  of 
purposes,  or  used  in  strips  to  secure  loads,  and  to  tie  the 
sticks,  &c.,  in  making  their  huts.  Einer  pieces  are  pulled 
out  so  as  to  resemble  a  coarse  network,  and  the  edges 
being  sewn  together,  make  handy  bags  for  cotton,  or  gum, 
grain,  &c. ;  and  very  strong  bags  are  woven  from  thin 
strips,  in  which  coffee  and  ground-nuts  are  brought  down 
from  Cazengo  to  the  coast. 


PRODUCTS,  69 


Several  amusing  incidents  occurred  on  my  introducing 
the  trade  in  Baobab  fibre  among  the  natives.  I  bad 
great  difficulty  at  first  in  inducing  them  to  take  to  it,  but 
they  soon  saw  the  advantage  of  doing  on  a  large  scale 
what  they  had  been  accustomed  to  do  for  their  own  small 
necessities;  their  principal  reason  for  suspicion  about 
it  was  that  it  had  never  before  been  an  article  purchased 
by  the  white  men ;  they  would  not  believe  it  was  for 
making  paper,  but  thought  it  must  be  for  making  cloth, 
and  one  old  fellow  very  sagely  affirmed  that  it  was  to  be 
used  for  making  mosquito  curtains,  from  the  open  texture 
of  the  finer  samples.  It  was  debated  at  the  towns  whether 
it  should  be  allowed  to  be  cut  and  sold,  and  finally  agreed 
to,  and  the  trade  was  fully  established  at  Ambriz  for 
several  months,  when  a  report  spread  amongst  the  natives 
that  the  object  of  my  buying  it  was  to  make  it  into  ropps 
to  tie  them  up  some  fine  day  when  they  least  expected  it, 
and  ship  them  on  board  the  steamers  as  slaves.  Such  was 
the  belief  in  this  absurd  idea  that  all  the  natives  employed 
at  the  factories  disappeared,  and  not  a  man,  woman,  or 
child  appeared  in  Ambriz  for  several  days,  and  the  place 
^vas  nearly  starved  out. 

I  had  an  old  black  as  my  head  man  of  the  name  of 
*'  Pae  Tomas "  (Father  Thomas)  who  was  very  much 
respected  in  the  country;  he  had  been  with  me  for  some 
years,  and  it  took  all  his  influence  to  get  the  natives  to 
return  to  Ambriz  and  to  bring  in  fibre  again  for  sale. 

Another  instance  of  how  any  little  variation  fiom  tlie 
usual  state  of  things  will  excite  the  suspicions  of  these 
natives,  even  accustomed  as  they  have  been  to  contact 
with  white  men  for  many  years,  was  the  appearance  at 
Ambriz  of  a  four-masted  steamer, — one  of  the  Lisbon 
monthly  line:  such  a  thing  as  a  "ship  with  four  sticks" 
had  never  been  seen  before,  and  without  waiting  to 
inquire,  every  black  ran  away  from  Ambriz,  and  the  same 
thing  happened  on  her  return  from  Loauda;  it  was  only 
after  repeated  voyages  that  the  natives  lost  their  fear  of 
her ;  they  could  give  no  other  reason  than  that  it  had 
never  been  seen  before,  and  that  therefore  it  must  be  a 


70  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

signal  for  the  white  men  to  do  something  or  other  they 
could  not  undf^rstand. 

It  was  not  till  some  time  after  putting  up  and  working 
the  hydiaulic  press  at  Ambriz  that  I  was  al)le  to  go  nf)rth 
and  establish  them  at  other  places.  I  had  to  invite  the 
King  and  Council  of  Musserra  to  come  to  Auibriz  and  see 
it  at  work,  and  convince  them  that  it  was  quite  an  inof- 
fensive machine,  and  could  only  squeeze  the  fibre  into 
bales ;  only  by  this  means  could  I  get  their  leave  to  land 
one  there  and  erect  it  and  begin  ihe  trade,  and  1  believe 
that  had  I  not  been  already  long  known  to  them  I  should 
have  been  unable  to  do  it  so  soon.  They  som^ehow  had 
the  idea  that  the  cylinder  w^as  a  great  cannon,  and  might 
be  fired  off  with  gunpowder,  and  I  might  take  the  country 
from  them  with  it,  but  they  w^ere  reassured  when  they 
saw  it  had  no  touch-hole  at  the  breech,  and  that  it  was 
set  upright  in  the  ground  and  \vorked  by  water. 

At  Kimpoa^a,  a  neighbouring  town  was  averse  to  one 
being  landed  there,  but  as  I  had  obtained  the  leave  of  the 
king  and  the  townspeople  they  felt  bound  to  allow^  me  to 
set  it  up,  and  for  about  a  fortnight  that  the  surf  prevented 
its  being  landed  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants  were  on  the 
beach  every  day  with  loaded  guns,  to  fight  the  other 
town,  if  necessary,  as  they  had  threatened  forcible  oppo- 
sition to  its  being  put  up — it  all  w^ent  off  quietly,  however, 
but  a  couple  of  years  after,  the  rains  having  failed  to  come 
down  at  the  proper  time,  the  fetish  men  declared  that  the 
'^matari  ampuena,"  or  the  "big  iron,"  had  fetished  the 
rain  and  prevented  its  appearance. 

The  matter  was  discussed  in  the  country  at  a  meeting 
of  the  people  of  the  neighbouring  towns,  and  it  was  deter- 
mined to  destroy  the  press  and  throw  it  into  the  sea  if  it 
was  found  to  be  a  '*  feiticeiro,"  or  wizard.  This  was,  of 
course,  to  be  proved  by  the  ordeal  by  poison,  namely,  by 
making  it  take  'casca,"  the  bark  that  I  have  already 
described  as  determining  the  innocence  or  guilt  of  any  one 
accused  of  witciicial't;  but  this  difficulty  presented  itself 
to  their  minds,  that  as  the  "  big  iron  "  had  no  stomach  or 
insides,  the  "  casca  "  could  have  no  action,  so  after  much 


PRODUCTS.  71 


deliberation  it  was  resolved  to  cet  over  the  difficulty  by 
giving  tlie  dos3  to  a  slave  of  tlie  Idna*,  who  represented 
the  hydraulic  pi-ess.  Very  luekily  the  poison  acted  as  an 
emetic,  and  the  press  was  proved  innocent  of  bewitching 
the  rain.  After  some  time,  the  rains  persisting  in  not 
coming  down,  the  poor  slave  was  again  forced  to  take 
"casca/'  but  with  the  same  fortunate  result, — the  press  was 
saved,  and  the  natives  have  never  again  suspected  it  of 
complicity  with  evil  spirits. 

It  was  these  hydraulic  presses  for  baling  the  baobab 
fibre,  at  Ambriz  and  elsewhere,  which  more  than  anything 
else  firmly  established  amongst  the  natives  the  name  they 
had  given  me  of  "Endoqui  ampuena,"  or,  the  great  wizard. 
There  is  something  to  them  so  marvellous  in  the  siniple 
working  of  a  lever  at  a  distance,  by  a  little  water  in  a 
tank,  that  no  rational  explanation  is  possible  to  their 
minds, — it  is  simply  a  case  of  pure  witchcrait. 

The  fruit  of  the  baobab  is  like  a  long  gourd,  about 
fourteen  to  eighteen  inches  in  leuf^lh,  covered  by  a 
velvety  greenish-brown  coating,  and  hanging  by  a  stalk 
two  to  three  feet  long.  It  is  filled  inside  with  a.  curious 
dry,  pulverulent,  yellowish-red  substance,  in  Mhich  the 
seeds,  about  the  size  of  pigeon-beans,  are  imbedded.  The 
seeds  are  pounded  and  made  into  meal  for  food  in  times 
of  scarcity,  and  the  substance  in  which  they  are  embedded 
is  also  edible,  but  strongly  and  agreeably  acid.  This 
gourd-like  fruit  is  often  used  for  carrying  water  or  storing 
salt,  &c.,  the  walls,  or  shell,  being  very  hard  and  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick.  From  its  shape  it  makes  a 
very  convenient  vessel  for  baling  water  out  of  a  canoe, 
one  end  being  cut  slantwise,  and  it  is  used  by  the  natives 
everywhere  on  the  coast  for  this  purpose. 

The  finest  orchilla  weed  is  found  growing  on  the  baobab 
trees  near  the  coast,  and  the  natives  ascend  the  great 
trunks  by  driving  pegs  into  them  one  above  the  other, 
and  using  them  as  steps  to  get  to  the  branches.  These 
trees  are  the  great  resort  of  the  several  species  of  doves  so 
abundant  in  Angola,  and  their  favourite  resting-place  on 
account  of  the  many  nooks  and  spaces  on  the  monstrous 


72  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

trunks  and  branches  in  wliicli  they  can  conveniently  build 
their  flat  nests  and  rear  their  young. 

There  is  something  peculiarly  grand  in  the  near  appear- 
ance of  these  trees,  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  the 
sensation  caused  by  these  huge  vegetable  towers,  that 
have  braved  in  solitary  grandeur  the  hot  sun  and  storms 
of  centuries ;  and  very  pleasant  it  is  to  lie  down  under  the 
shade  of  one  of  these  giants  and  listen  to  the  soft  plaintive 
*'coo — coo — coo  "  of  the  doves  above,  the  only  sound  that 
breaks  the  noonday  silence  of  the  hot  and  dry  untrodden 
solitude  around. 

A  lowly  plant,  but  perhaps  the  most  important  in  native 
, tropical  African  agriculture,  the  ground-nut  (J.rac7iz*s /ly- 
poffsea)j  next  deserves  description.  Many  thousand  tons 
of' this  little  nut  are  grown  on  the  whole  West  Coast  of 
Africa,  large  quantities  being  exported  to  Europe, — prin- 
cipally to  France, — to  be  expressed  into  oil.  We  have 
already  seen  what  a  great  increase  has  taken  place  in  the 
cultivation  of  this  nut  in  the  part  of  the  coast  I  am  now 
specially  describing,  and  I  believe  that  it  is  destined  to 
be  one  of  the  most  important  oil-seeds  of  the  future. 

The  native  name  for  it  is  "  mpinda  "  or  '*  ginguba,"  and 
it  is  cultivated  in  the  greatest  abundance  at  a  few  miles  in- 
land from  the  coast,  where  the  comparatively  arid  country 
is  succeeded  by  better  ground  and  climate.  It  requires  a 
rich  soil  for  its  cultivation,  and  it  is  chiefly  grown,  there- 
fore, in  the  bottoms  of  valleys,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  rivers 
and  marshes.  The  plant  grows  from  one  to  two  feet  high, 
with  a  leaf  and  habit  very  much  like  a  finely-grown 
clover.  The  bright-yellow  pea-like  flowers  are  borne  on 
long  slender  stalks ;  these,  after  flowering,  curl  down,  and 
force  the  pod  into  the  ground,  where  it  ripens  beneath 
the  soil.  Its  cultivation  is  a  very  simple  affair.  The 
ground  being  cleared,  the  weeds  and  grass  are  allowed 
to  dry,  and  are  then  burnt;  the  ground  is  then  lightly 
dug  a  few  inches  deep  by  the  women  with  their  little  hoes 
— their  only  implement  of  agriculture — and  the  seeds 
dropped  into  the  ground  and  covered  up.  The  sowing 
takes  place  in  October  and  November,  at  the  beginning 


PRODUCTS.  73 


of  the  rainy  season,  and  the  first  crop  of  nuts  for  eating 
green  is  ready  about  April ;  but  they  are  not  ripe  lor 
nine  mouths  after  sowing,  or  about  July  or  August,  when 
they  are  first  brought  down  to  the  coast  for  trade. 

A  large  plantation  of  ground-nuts  is  a  very  beautiful 
sight :  a  rich  expanse  of  tlie  most  luxuriant  foliage  of  the 
brightest  green,  every  leaf  studded  with  diamond-like 
drops  glittering  in  the  early  sun.  The  ground-nut  is  an 
important  part  of  the  food  of  the  natives,  and  more  so  in 
the  country  from  Ambriz  to  the  Kiver  Congo  than  south 
at  Loanda  and  Benguella.  It  is  seldom  eaten  raw,  but 
roasted,  and  when  young  and  green,  and  roasted  in  the 
husks,  is  really  delicious  eating.  It  is  excessively 
oily  when  fully  ripe,  and  the  natives  then  generally  eat 
it  with  bananas  and  either  the  raw  mandioca  root,  or  some 
preparation  of  it,  experience  showing  tiiem  the  necessity 
of  the  admixture  of  a  farinaceous  substance  with  an 
excessively  oily  food.  The  nuts  are  also  ground  on 
a  stone  to  a  paste,  with  which  to  thicken  their  stews  and 
messes.  This  paste,  mixed  with  ground  Chili  pepper, 
is  also  made  into  long  rolls,  enveloped  in  leaves  of  the 
Phrynium  ramosissimuni,  and  is  eaten  principally  in  the 
morning  to  stay  the  stomach  in  travelling  till  they  reach 
the  proper  camping-places  for  their  brealdast  or  first 
meal  and  rest,  generally  about  noon  It  is  called  "quitaba," 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  first  time  I  tasted  this  com- 
position :  I  thought  my  palate  and  tongue  were  blistered, 
80  great  was  the  pi'oportion  of  Chili  pepper  in  it. 

A  considerable  quantity  of  oil  used  to  be  prepared  by 
the  natives  from  this  nut  by  the  most  rudimentary  process 
it  is  possible  to  imagine.  The  nuts  are  first  pounded  into  a 
mass  in  a  wooden  mortar;  a  handful  of  this  is  then  taken 
between  the  palms  of  the  hands,  and  an  attendant  pours 
a  small  quantity  of  hot  water  on  it,  and  on  squeezing  the 
hands  tightly  together  the  oil  and  water  run  out.  Since 
the  great  demand  ibr,  and  trade  in,  the  ground-nut,  but 
little  oil  is  prepared  by  the  natives,  as  they  find  it  more 
advantageous  to  sell  the  nuts  than  to  extract  the  oil 
trom  them  by  the  wasteful  process  I  have  just  described. 


74  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

Ground-nut  oil  is  very  thin  and  clear,  and  is  greatly  used 
in  cookery  in  Angola,  for  which  it  is  well  adapted  as  it 
is  almost  free  from  taste  and  smell. 

The  greater  part  of  the  several  thousand  tons  of  nuts 
that  at  present  constitute  the  season's  crop  in  this  part 
of  the  country  is  grown  in  the  Mbamba  country,  lying 
parallel  with  the  coast,  at  a  distance  of  from  thirty  to 
eighty  miles  inland,  or  at  the  first  and  second  elevation. 
Some  idea  of  the  great  population  of  this  comparatively 
small  district  may  be  formed  from  the  fact  that  the 
whole  of  the  above  ground-nuts  are  shelled  by  hand, 
and  brought  down  to  the  coast  on  the  heads  of  the 
natives.  It  is  difficult  for  any  one  unacquainted  with 
the  subject  to  realise  the  vast  amount  of  labour  im- 
plied in  the  operation  of  shelling  this  large  quantity 
by  hand. 

The  trade  in  coffee  is  almost  entirely  restricted  to 
Ambriz,  and  it  comes  principally  from  the  district  of 
Encoge,  a  considerable- quantity  also  being  brought  from 
the  Dembos  country  and  from  Cazengo,  to  the  interior  of 
Loanda,  from  which  latter  place  the  trade  is  shut  out  by 
the  stupid  and  short-siglited  policy  of  high  custom-house 
duties  on  goods,  and  other  restrictions  on  trade  of  tlie 
Portuguese  authorities.  Very  little  of  the  coffee  produced 
in  the  provinces  of  Encoge  and  Dembos  is  cultivated ;  it 
is  the  product  of  coffee-trees  growing  spontaneously  in  the 
virgin  forests  of  the  second  elevation.  The  natives,  of 
course,  have  no  machinery  of  any  kind  to 'separate  the 
berry  from  the  pod,  these  being  dried  in  the  sun  and  then 
broken  in  a  wooden  mortar,  and  the  husks  separated  by 
winnowing  in  the  o})en  air. 

The  sesamum  seed  (Sesamum  indicum)  has  only  very  re- 
cently become  an  article  of  trade  in  Angola.  It  was  culti- 
vated sparingly  by  the  natives,  who  employ  it,  ground  to 
a  paste  on  a  stone  in  the  same  manner  as  the  ground-nut, 
to  add  to  their  other  food  in  cooking.  It  is  as  yet  culti- 
vated lor  trade  principally  by  the  natives  about  Mangue 
Grande,  and  only  since  about  the  year  1868,  but  there  is 
no  doubt  it  will  be  an  important  product  all  over  Angola, 


PRODUCTS.  75 


as  it  is  found  to  grow  near  the  coast,  in  soil  too  arid  fov 
the  ground-nut. 

The  red  gum  copal,  called  "  niaquata  "  by  the  natives, 
is  of  the  finest  quality,  and  is  almost  entirely  the  product 
of  the  Mossulo  country.  It  is  known  to  exist  north,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mangue  Grande,  but  it  is  *' fetish"  for  the 
natives  to  dig  it,  and  consequently  they  will  not  bring  it 
for  trade,  and  even  refuse  to  tell  the  exact  place  where  it 
is  fonnd,  but  tliere  can  be  no  doubt  about  it,  as  they 
formerly  traded  in  it  with  the  white  men. 

Until  about  the  year  1858,  it  was  a  principal  article 
of  export  from  Ambriz;  vessels  being  loaded  with  it, 
chiefly  to  America,  but  with  the  American  war  the  trade 
ceased,  and  it  has  never  since  attained  anything  like  its 
former  magnitude.  I  believe  it  to  be  a  fossil  gum  or 
mineral  resin.  I  have  examined  quantities  of  it,  to  discover 
any  trace  of  leaves,  insects  or  other  remains,  that  might 
prove  it  to  have  been  of  vegetable  origin,  but  in  vain. 

It  is  obtained  from  a  part  of  Angola  where  white  men 
are  not  permitted  by  the  natives  to  penetrate,  and  I  have 
consequently  not  been  an  actual  observer  of  the  locality 
in  which  it  occurs;  but  by  all  the  accounts  received  from 
intelligent  natives,  it  is  found  below  the  surface  of  a  highly 
ferruginous  hard  clay  or  soil,  at  a  depth  of  a  few  inches  to 
a  couple  of  feet.  It  is  very  likely  that  if  the  ground  were 
properly  explored,  it  would  be  found  deeper,  but  most 
probably  this  is  as  deep  as  the  natives  care  to  dig  for  it,  if 
they  can  obtain  it  elsewhere  nearer  the  surface.  It  is  said 
to  be  found  in  irregular  masses,  chiefly  flat  in  shape,  and 
from  small  knobs  to  pieces  weighing  several  pounds. 
These  are  all  carefully  chopped  into  small  nearly  uniform 
pieces,  the  object  of  this  being  to  enable  the  natives  to 
sell  it  by  measure, — the  measures  being  little  '*  quindas  " 
or  open  baskets;  the  natives  of  the  country  where  it  is 
obtained  not  only  bring  it  to  the  coast  for  barter,  but  also 
sell  it  to  the  coast  natives,  who  go  with  goods  to  purchase 
it  from  them. 

The  blacks  of  the  gum-country  are  so  indolent  that  they 
will  only  dig  for  the  gum  during  and  after  the  last  and 


76  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  EIVER  CONGO, 

heaviest  rains,  about  March,  April,  and  May,  and  these, 
and  June  and  July,  are  the  months  when  it  almost  all 
makes  its  appearanoe,  and  they  will  only  allow  a  certain 
quantity  to  leave  the  country,  for  fear  that  its  price  on 
the  coast  may  fall  ;•  hence  only  a  few  tons  of  this  beautiful 
gum  ar.^  now  obtained,  where  some  years  ago  hundreds 
were  bought.  It  is  said  by  the  natives  that  no  trees 
grow  on  or  near  the  places  where  the  gum  copal  is  found^ 
and  that  even  grass  grows  very  sparingly :  the  very  small 
quantities  of  red  earth  and  sand  sometimes  attached  to 
the  gum  show  it  to  be  so  highly  ferruginous,  that  I  should 
imagine  such  was  really  the  case. 

The  white  Angola  gum  is  said  to  be  the  product  of  a 
tree  growing  near  rivers  and  water,  a  little  to  the  interior 
of  the  coast.  I  have  never  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  tree  myself,  however. 

We  now  come  to  one  of  the  most  curious  products  of 
this  interesting  country,  namely,  india-rubber,  called  by 
tlie  natives  "  Tangandando."  It  had  been  an  article  ex- 
ported in  considerable  quantities  north  of  the  River  Congo, 
and  knowing  that  the  plant  from  which  it  was  obtained 
grew  in  abundance  in  the  second  region,  about  sixty  miles 
inland  from  Ambriz,  I  distributed  a  number  of  pieces  of 
the  india-rubber  to  natives  of  the  interior,  and  offered  a 
high  price  for  any  that  might  be  brought  for  sale.  In  a 
very  short  time  it  began  to  come  in,  and  the  quantity  has 
steadily  increased  to  the  present  day. 

The  plant  that  produces  it  is  the  giant  tree-creeper 
{Landolphia,  florida?),  covering  the  highest  trees,  and 
growing  principally  en  those  near  rivers  or  streams.  Its 
stem  is  sometimes  as  thick  as  a  man's  thigh,  and  in  the 
dense  woods  at  Quiballa  I  have  seen  a  considerable  extent 
of  forest  festooned  down  to  the  ground,  from  tree  to  tree, 
in  all  directions  with  its  thick  stems,  like  great  hawsers ; 
above,  the  trees  were  nearly  hidden  by  its  large  bright 
dark-green  leaves,  and  studded  with  beautiful  bunches 
of  pure  white  star-like  flowers,  most  sweetly  scented. 
Its  fruit  is  the  size  of  a  large  orange,  of  a  yellow  colour 
when  ripe,  and  perfectly  round,  with  a  hard  brittle  shell ; 


IVOBY,  77 


bsicle  it  is  full  of  a  soft  reddish  pulp  iu  which  the  seeds 
are  contained.  This  pulp  is  of  a  very  agreeable  acid 
flavour,  and  is  much  liked  by  the  natives.  The  ripe  fruit, 
when  cleaned  out,  is  employed  by  them  to  contain  small 
quantities  of  oil,  &c.  It  is  not  always  easy  to  obtain  ripe 
seeds,  as  this  creeper  is  the  favourite  resort  of  a  villainous 
semi-transparent  long-legged  red  ant — with  a  stinging 
bite  like  a  red-hot  needle — which  is  veiy  fond  of  the 
pulp  and  seeds. 

Every  part  of  this  creeper  exudes  a  milky  juice  when  cut 
or  wounded,  but  unlike  the  india-rubber  tree  of  America 
this  milky  sap  will  not  run  into  a  vessel  placed  to  receive 
it,  as  it  dries  so  quickly  as  to  form  a  ridge  on  the  wound 
or  cut,  which  stops  its  further  flow. 

The  blacks  collect  it,  therefore,  by  making  long  cuts  in 
the  bark  with  a  knife,  and  as  the  milky  juice  gushes  out, 
it  is  wiped  off  continually  with  their  fingers,  and  smeared 
on  their  arms,  shoulders,  and  breast  until  a  thick  covering 
is  formed  ;  this  is  peeled  off  their  bodies  and  cut  into  small 
squares,  which  are  then  said  to  be  boiled  in  water. 

From  Ambriz  the  trade  in  this  india-rubber  quickly 
spread  south  to  the  liiver  Quanza,  from  whence  considerable 
quantities  are  exported. 

The  ivory  that  reaches  this  part  of  the  coast  is  brought 
down  by  natives  of  the  Zombo  country.  These  are  similar 
in  appearance  to  the  Mushicongos,  to  which  tribe  they  are 
said  to  be  neighbours,  and  are  physically  a  poor-looking 
race,  dressed  mostly  in  native  grass-cloth,  and  wearing  the 
wool  on  their  heads  in  very  small  plaits,  thickly  plastered 
with  oil  and  charcoal  dust,  which  they  also  plentifully 
apply  to  their  faces  and  bodies. 

They  are  about  thirty  days  on  the  journey  from  their 
country  to  the  coast,  which  can  therefore  be  very  closely 
calculated  to  be  about  300  miles  distance.  The  road  they 
follow  passes  near  Bembe,  and  the  caravans  shortly  after- 
wards divide  into  three  portioiis,  one  taking  the  road  to 
Moculla,  another  to  Ambrizzette,  and  the  third  to  Quis- 
sembo,  the  three  centres,  at  present,  of  the  ivory  trade. 
The  caravans  of  ivory  generally  travel  in  the  "  cacimbo  '* 


78  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lilVEIt  CONGO, 

or  dry  season,  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  streams 
and  gullies  they  liave  to  cross  on  their  lono;  journey,  and 
almost  impassable  in  the  rainy  season.  I'hese  caravans 
never  bring  down  any  other  produce  with  them  but  ivory, 
except  at  times  a  few  grass-cdoths,  some  bags  of  white 
haricot-beans,  and  fine  milk-white  onions,  neither  of  which 
are  cultivated  by  the  natives  near  the  coast.  The  tusks  are 
carried  by  the  natives  on  their  heads  or  shoulders,  and  to 
prevent  their  slipping,  are  fastened  in  a  sort  of  cnge  of  four 
short  pieces  of  wood  (Plate  IV.).  Very  heavy  teeth  are 
slung  to  a  long  pole  and  carried  by  two  blacks.  The  largest 
tusks  I  have  seen  were  two  that  came  to  Quissembo, 
evidently  taken  from  the  same  animal;  they  weighed 
respectively  172  and  174  pounds  ! 

The  knives  on  Plate  V.  were  obtainel  from  natives 
composing  these  caravans. 

From  all  the  more  intelligent  natives  I  always  obtained 
the  same  information  respecting  the  origin  of  the  ivory 
brought  down  to  the  coast,  namely,  that  it  was  all  from 
animals  killed,  and  not  from  elephants  found  dead.  The 
natives  from  the  interior  always  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
ivory  becoming  scarce  from  the  numbers  of  elephants  that 
must  necessarily  be  killed  to  supply  the  large  number  of 
tusks  annually  brought  down, — the  number  slaughtered 
must  therefore  be  very  small  in  comparison  to  the  living 
herds  they  must  be  in  the  habit  of  seeing  on  the  vast 
plains  of  the  interior.  They  are  said  to  be  shot,  and  that 
the  natives  put  such  a  charge  of  powder  and  iron  bullets 
into  their  guns  that  when  fired  from  the  shouldt^r  the 
hunter  cannot  use  his  gun  again  that  day,  so  great  is  the 
kick  he  gets  from  its  recoil.  I  can  well  understand  that 
this  is  not  an  exaggerated  account,  from  the  manner  in 
■which  blacks  always  load  a  gun,  the  charge  of  powder 
being  one  handful,  as  much  as  it  can  hold,  then  a  wadding 
of  baobab  fibre,  then  lead  shot,  or  lead  or  iron  bullets  (in 
default  of  which  they  use  the  heavy  round  pieces  of 
pisolitic  iron  ore  very  common  in  the  country),  another 
wad  of  baobab  fibre,  and  the  gun  must  tlien  show  that  it  is 
loaded  a  "  palm,"  or  about  eight  or  nine  inches  of  the  barrel, 


Ankle-ring  —2.  Ping  to  ascend  Palm-trees.— 3.  Cage  for  carrying  Ivory  Tusks 

4.  Kngongui .— 5.  Fetich  figure.- 6.  Mask.— 7.  Pillow.       y»  foMt  jage  78, 


MUSSERRA— SLEEP  DISEASE.  79 

On  festive  occasions,  or  at  their  burials,  the  guns  are 
loaded  with  a  tamping  of  "  fuba,"  or  fine  mandioea-raeal, 
instead  of  other  wadding,  and  they  then  give  a  terrific 
report  when  fired  off,  and  not  unfrequently  bur<t. 

This  coast  abounds  with  fish,  but  very  few  of  the  natives 
engage  in  their  capture,  as  they  make  so  much  by  trading 
that  they  will  not  take  the  trouble.  Several  fish,  such  as 
the  *•  Pungo "  weighing  as  much  as  three  "  arrobas,"  or 
ninety-six  pounds,  visit  the  coast  only  in  the  "  cacimbo  " 
or  cold  season  of  the  year,  or  from  June  to  August. 

The  Bay  of  Musserra  is  a  noted  place  for  large  captures  of 
this  fine  fish,  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty  being  caught  in  a  day 
by  the  natives,  with  hook  and  line,  from  their  small  curious 
shaped  canoes.  It  is  a  very  firm-fleshed  fish,  and  cut  up, 
salted,  and  dried  in  the  sun,  was  a  gr^at  article  of  trade 
at  Musserra,  being  sold  to  the  natives  from  the  interior, 
particularly  to  the  "  Zombos  "  composing  the  caravans  of 
ivory,  who  are  very  fond  of  salt  fish.  There  was  a  great 
row  in  the  season  1870,  which  was  a  very  scarce  one  for 
ground-nuts,  between  the  natives  of  the  interior  and  the 
blacks  at  Musserra,  on  account  of  the  latter  taking  to 
collect  Adansonia  fibre  in  preference  to  catching  *'Pnngo," 
and  therefore  disappointing  the  inlanders  of  their  favourite 
salt  delicacy. 

The  canoes  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  and  as  far  north 
as  Cabinda,  are  very  curious,  and  totally  unlike  any  that 
I  have  seen  anywhere  else.  They  are  composed  of  two 
rounded  canoes  lashed  or  sewn  together  below,  and 
open  at  the  top.  This  aperture  is  narrow,  and  each  canoe 
forms,  as  it  were,  a  long  pocket.  The  natives  stand  or 
sit  on  them  with  their  legs  in  the  canoe,  or  astride,  as 
most  convenient  according  to  the  state  of  the  surf,  on 
which  these  canoes  ride  beautifully. 

The  town  of  Musserra  was  formerly  a  large  and  popu- 
lous one,  but  small-pox  and  "  sleep  disease"  have  reduced 
it  to  a  mere  handful. 

This  '*  sleep  disease"  was  unknown  south  of  the  River 
Congo,  where  it  formerly  attacked  the  slaves  collected  in 
the  barracoons  for  shipment.     It  suddenly  appeared  at  the 


80  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

town  of  Musserra  alone,  where,  I  was  told  by  the  natives 
as  many  as  200  of  the  inhabitants  died  of  it  in  a  few 
months.  This  was  in  1870,  and,  curious  to  say,  it  did  not 
spread  to  tlie  neii»libouring-  towns.  I  induced  the  natives 
to  remove  from  the  old  town,  and  the  mortality  decreased 
till  the  disease  died  out. 

This  singular  disease  appears  to  be  well  known  at 
Gaboon,  &c.,  and  is  said  to  be  an  affection  of  the  cerebel- 
lum. The  subjects  attacked  by  it  suffer  no  pain  whatever, 
but  fall  into  a  continual  heavy  drowsiness  or  sleep,  having 
to  be  awakened  to  be  fed,  and  at  last  become  unable  to  eat 
at  all,  or  stand,  and  die  fast  asleep  as  it  were.  There  is 
no  cure  known  for  it,  and  the  patients  are  said  to  die  gene- 
rally in  about  twenty  to  forty  days  after  being  first  attacked. 

Tliere  was  nothing  in  the  old  town  to  account  for  this 
sudden  and  singular  epidemic ;  it  was  beautifully  clean, 
and  well  built  on  high,  dry  ground,  surrounded  by  man- 
dioca  plantations,  and  the  last  place  to  all  appearance  to 
expect  such  a  curious  outbreak. 

About  four  or  five  miles  inland  of  Musserra,  on  a  ridge 
of  low  hills,  stands  the  remarkable  granite  pillar  marked  on 
the  charts,  and  forming  a  capital  landmark  to  ships  at  sea, 
(Plate  v.). 

The  country  at  that  distance  from  the  coast  is  singularly 
wild  in  appearance,  from  the  whole  being  broken  up  into 
what  can  only  be  compared  to  a  vast  granite  quarry: — huge 
blocks  of  this  rock,  of  every  imaginable  size  and  shape, 
arie  scattered  over  the  hilly  ground,  thickly  interspersed 
with  gigantic  baobabs  and  creepers.  Some  of  the  masses 
of  rock  imitate  grotesquely  all  manner  of  objects :  a  very 
curious  one  is  exactly  like  a  htige  cottage-loaf  stuck  on  the 
top  of  a  tall  slender  pillar.  Others  are  generally  rounded 
masses,  large  and  small,  piled  one  on  top  of  another,  and 
poised  and  balanced  in  the  most  fantastic  manner.  This 
extraordinary  appearance  is  due  to  softer  horizontal  layers 
or  beds  in  the  granite  weathering  unequnlly,and  to  strongly- 
marked  cleavage  planes  running  N.N.E.  and  S.S.W. 

The  granite  pillar  itself  stands  on  the  top  of  one  of  the 
last  of  the  low  hills  forming  the  rocky  ridge  that  comes 


Granite  Pillar  of  Mutscrra.— 1.  Wooden  Trumpet.— 2.  Hop.— 3.  Pipe.— 4.  Knives.— 
5  and  6.  Clapping  Hands,   and  Answer.  To  face  page  80. 


SALT.  81 

down  to  within  a  few  miles  of  the  coast.  It  consists  of  a 
laige  slice  or  flat  piece  of  granite,  facing  the  sea,  standing 
npright  on  another  block  that  serves  it  for  a  pedestal. 
The  top  piece  is  about  forty-five  feet  high,  and  twenty- 
seven  broad  at  the  base,  and  eight  to  ten  feet  thick.  Its 
faces  correspond  to  the  cleavage  plane  of  the  granite  of  the 
country,  and  from  large  masses  that  h'e  around  on  the  same 
hill,  it  is  clear  that  these  have  fallen  away  from  each  side, 
and  left  it  alone  standing  on  the  top.  The  square  pedestal 
on  which  it  stands  is  about  forty  feet  long,  and  twenty- 
high,  by  twenty-seven  wide.  I  climbed  once  to  the  top  of 
this  square  block  by  the  help  of  a  small  tree  growing  against 
it,  and  found  that  the  top  piece  rested  on  three  points  that 
I  could  just  crawl  under.  Under  some  lichen  growing 
there  I  found  numbers  of  a  beetle  (Pentalohus  harbatus, 
Fabr.),  which  I  presented  to  the  British  Museum. 

A  considerable  quantity  of  salt  is  made  by  the  natives 
of  tliis  part  of  the  coast,  from  Quissembo  to  Ambrizzette, 
particularly  at  the  latter  place,  in  the  small  salt  marshes 
near  the  sea,  and  with  which  they  carry  on  a  trade  with 
the  natives  from  the  interior. 

At  the  end  of  the  dry  season  the  women  and  children 
divide  the  surfiice  of  these  marshes  into  little  square  por- 
tions or  pans,  by  raising  mud  walls  a  few  inches  high,  so 
as  to  enclose  in  each  about  two  or  three  gallons  of  the 
water,  saturated  with  salt  from  the  already  nearly  eva- 
porated marsh.  As  the  salt  crystallizes  in  the  bottom 
of  these  little  pans,  it  is  taken  out,  and  more  water  added, 
and  so  the  process  is  continued  until  the  marsh  is  quite 
dry.  In  many  cases  a  small  channel  is  cut  from  tlie  marsh 
to  the  sea  (generally  very  close  to  it)  to  admit  fresh  sea- 
water  at  high  tide. 

It  is  an  amusing  s;ght  to  see  numbers  of  women  and 
children,  all  stark  naked,  standing  sometimes  above  tht  ir 
knees  in  the  water,  baling  it  into  the  "  pans'*  with  small 
open  baskets  or  "  quindas,"  and  all  singing  loudly  a  mono- 
tonous song; — others  are  engaged  in  filling  large  **  quindas'*' 
with  dirty  salt  from  the  muddy  pans,  whilst  others 
again  are  busily  washing  the  crystallized  salt  by  pour- 

G 


82  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

iiig  sea-water  over  it  till  all  the  mud  is  washed  away,  and 
the  basketfuls  of  salt  shine  in  the  suii  like  driven  snow. 

Towards  evening  long  lines  of  women  and  children  will 
be  seen  carrying  to  their  towns,  on  their  heads,  the  harvest 
of  salt,  and  great  is  the  fini  and  chaff  irom  them  ii"  they 
meet  a  wliite  man  travelling  in  a  hammock, — all  laughing 
and  shouting,  and  wanting  to  shake  hands,  and  running  to 
keep  pace  with  the  hammock-bearers. 

The  proprietress  of  each  set  of  little  evaporating  pans 
marks  them  as  her  property  by  placing  a  stick  in  each 
corner,  to  which  is  attached  some  "  fetish  "  to  keep  others 
from  pilfering.  This  "  fetish  "  is  generally  a  small  bundle 
of  strips  of  cloth  or  rags,  or  a  small  gourd  or  baobab  fruit 
containing  feathers,  fowl-dung,  '* taenia"  (red  wood),  or 
very  often  some  little  clay  or  wooden  figure,  grotesquely 
carved,  and  coloured  red  and  white. 

Quantities  of  little  fish  are  also  captured  about  the 
same  time  from  these  marshes,  being  driven  into  corners, 
&c.,  and  prevented  from  returning  to  the  marsh  by  a 
mud  wall.  The  water  from  the  enclosure  thus  formed  is 
then  baled  out  by  the  women  with  baskets,  and  the  fish 
caught  in  the  mud.  I  have  often  seen  as  many  as 
twenty  women  all  standing  in  a  line,  baling  out  the  water 
from  a  large  pool  in  which  they  had  endosed  shoals  of 
little  fish.  These  are  spread  out  on  the  ground  to  dry  in 
the  sun,  and  the  stench  from  them  during  the  process  is 
something  terrific.  When  dry  they  are  principally  sold 
to  natives  from  the  interior. 

Many  kinds  of  aquatic  birds  of  all  sizes  flock  in  the 
dry  season  to  these  marshes,  where  a  rich  abundance  of 
finny  food  awaits  them,  and  it  is  curious  to  see  what  little 
regard  they  pay  to  the  women  collecting  salt  or  baling 
water,  and  singing  loudly  in  chorus,  very  often  quite  close 
to  them.  The  reason  of  this  tameness  is  that  the  natives 
seldom  fire  at  or  molest  them,  only  a  very  few  hunters 
shooting  wild  ducks  for  sale  to  the  white  men,  though 
they  will  always  eat  any  kind  of  rank  gull  or  other  bird 
that  a  white  man  may  shoot.  Very  beautiful  are  tlie  long 
lines   of  spoonbills,  flamingoes,  and   herons  of  different 


MINERAL  PITOH. 


species,  standing  peacefully  in  these  shallow  marshes, 
their  snow-white  plumage  and  tall  graceful  forms  brightly 
reflected  on  the  dark  unruffled  surface  of  the  water. 

The  marshes  on  this  coast  are  fortunately  not  extensive 
enough  to  influence  much  the  health  of  the  white  resi- 
dents; they  are  all  perfectly  snlt,  and  free  from  mangrove 
or  other  vegetation,  and  generally  dry  up  completely 
(with  rare  exceptions)  in  the  dry  season,  when  some- 
times the  stench  from  them  is  very  perceptible. 

The  worst  season  for  Europeans  is  about  May,  June, 
and  July,  when  the  marshes  are  quite  full  from  the  last 
heavy  rains,  and  exhale  no  smell  whatever. 

The  point  at  Musserra  is  composed  of  sandstone,  the 
lower  beds  of  which  are  strongly  impregnated  with  bitu- 
men, so  strongly,  indeed,  that  it  oozes  out  in  the  hot  season. 

At  Kinsao,  near  Mangue  Grande,  and  a  few  miles  to 
the  interior,  a  lake  of  this  mineral  pitch  is  said  to  exist, 
but  of  course  the  natives  will  not  allow  a  white  man  to 
visit  the  locality  to  ascertain  the  fact,  and  it  is  also 
"fetish"  fur  the  natives  to  trade  in  it.  The  fear  of 
armexation  of  the  country  by  the  white  men  has  caused 
the  natives  to  "  fetish "  and  absolutely  prohibit  even  the 
mention  of  another  very  important  article — malachite — of 
which  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  a  large  deposit 
exists,  about  six  miles  up  the  river  at  Ambrizzette.  The 
scenery  up  this  little  river  is  very  lovely,  but  the  natives 
will  not  allow  white  men  to  ascend  more  than  a  few  miles 
or  up  to  a  hill  beyond  which  the  deposit  or  mine  of 
malachite  is  believed  to  exist.  In  the  slave-trading  time 
quantities  of  this  mineral  in  fine  lumps  used  to  be  pur- 
chased of  the  natives  from  this  locality,  but  on  tlie  occu- 
pation of  Ambriz  by  the  Portuguese,  in  1855,  for  the 
purpose  of  reaching  the  malachite  deposit  at  Bembe,  the 
natives  of  Ambrizzette  closed  the  working  of  their  mine, 
and  it  remains  so  to  this  day,  and  nothing  will  induce 
them  to  open  it  again. 

I  have  had  many  private  conversations  with  them,  and 
tried  hard  to  make  them  work  it  again,  but,  as  might  be 
expected,  without  success. 

G  2 


(     84    ) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

AMBBIZ — TRADE — MALACHITE  —  ROAD  TO  BEMBE  —  TRA- 
VELLING—  MOSQUITOES  —  QUIBALLA  TO  QUILUMBO  — 
QUILUMBO    TO  BEMBE. 

Ambriz,  seen  from  the  sea,  consists  of  a  high  rocky  cliflf 
or  promontory,  with  a  fine  bay  sweeping  with  a  level 
beach  northward  nearly  to  tlie  next  promontory,  on 
which  stand  tlie  trading  factories  forming  the  place  called 
Quissembo,  or  Kinsembo  of  the  English. 

In  the  bay  the  little  River  Logo  has  its  mouth,  and 
marks  the  nortliern  limit  of  the  Portuguese  possession 
of  Angola.  The  country  beyond,  described  in  the  last 
chapter,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  under  their  o\mi 
laws,  and  owing  no  allegiance  or  obedience  to  any  white 
power.  Ambriz  was,  up  to  the  year  1855,  when  it  was 
occupied  by  the  Portuguese,  also  in  the  hands  of  the 
natives,  and  was  one  of  the  principal  ports  for  the  ship- 
ment of,  and  trade  in  slaves,  from  the  interior. 

There  were  also  established  tliere  American  and  Liver- 
pool houses,  trading  in  gum  copal,  malachite,  and  ivory, 
and  selling,  for  hard  cash,  Manchester  and  other  goods 
to  the  slave  dealers  from  Cuba  and  the  Brazils,  with 
which  goods  the  slaves  from  the  interior  were  all  bought 
by  barter  from  the  natives. 

The  Portuguese,  following  their  usual  blind  and  absurd 
policy,  at  once  established  a  custom-house,  and  levied 
high  duties  on  all  goods  imported.  The  consequence  wa;*, 
that  the  foreign  houses,  to  escape  their  exactions,  at  once 
removed  to  Quissembo,  on  the  other  side  of  the  River 
Loge,  and  the  trade  of  Ambriz  was  completely  annihilated 
and  reduced  to  zero.  For  many  years  the  revenue  barely 
sufficed  to  pay  the  paltry  salaries  of  the  cnstom-house 


AMDRIZ.  85 


ofiScials,  but  when  I  established  myself  at  Ambriz,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  induciog  the  Governor-General  of  Angola  to 
reduce  the  duties,  so  as  to  enable  us  at  Ambriz  to  compete 
successfully  with  the  factories  at  Quissembo,  six  miles  off, 
where  they  paid  no  duties  whatever,  with  the  annual  ex- 
ception of  a  few  pounds'  worth  of  cloth,  &c.,  in  "customs" 
or  presents  to  the  natives. 

The  Governor,  Francisco  Antonio  Gonjalves  Cardozo, 
a  naval  officer,  had  the  common  sense  to  perceive  that 
moderate  duties  would  yield  a  greater  revenue,  and  would 
be  the  only  means  of  bringing  back  trade  to  the  place. 
An  import  duty  of  six  per  cent,  advalorem  was  decreed, 
notwithstanding  the  violent  opposition  of  the  petty  mer- 
chants, and  ignorant  officials  at  Loanda.  The  experiment, 
it  is  needless  to  say,  was  highly  successful,  and  the  receipts 
of  the  Ambriz  custom-house  now  amount  to  a  considerable 
sum,  of  which  a  third  is  devoted  to  public  works.  The 
factories  at  Quissembo  are  at  present  doing  but  little  trade, 
except  in  ivory,  which  has  not  yet  been  coaxed  back  to 
Ambriz. 

The  town  of  Ambriz  consists  principally  of  one  long, 
broad  street  or  road,  on  the  ridge  that  ends  at  the  cliff  or 
promontory  forming  the  southern  point  of  the  bay.  At 
the  end  of  the  road  a  small  fort  has  been  built  in  which 
are  the  barracks  for  the  detachment  of  troops  forming  the 
garrison.  This  useless  fort  has  been  a  source  of  consider- 
able profit  to  the  many  ill-paid  Portuguese  governors  or 
commandants  of  Ambriz,  and  though  it  has  cost  the 
country  thousands  of  pounds,  it  is  not  yet  finished.  There 
is  a  tumble-down  house  for  the  commandant,  and  an 
attempt  at  an  hospital,  also  unfinished,  though  it  has  been 
building  for  many  years.  There  are  no  quarters  for  the 
officers,  who  live  as  best  they  can  with  the  traders,  or 
hire  whatever  mud  or  grass  huts  they  can  secure. 

The  custom-house  is  in  ruins,  notwithstanding  many 
years  of  expenditure,  for  which,  in  fact,  fort,  hospital, 
barracks,  custom-house,  and  all  other  government  and 
public  works  might  have  been  built  long',  ago,  of  stone 
and  building-materials  from  Portugal.     A  church  was 


8G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

commenced  to  be  built  by  subscriptions,  the  walls  only 
were  raised,  and  thus  it  remains  to  this  day.  There  is  a 
government  paid  priest  who  celebrates  mass  on  most 
Sunday  n^ornings  in  a  small  room  in  the  commandant's 
house,  but  for  whom  no  school-room,  residence,  or  any 
convenience  whatever  is  provided,  and  who  lives  in  a 
hut  in  a  back  street,  where  he  trades  for  produce  with  the 
natives  on  week  days. 

The  garrison  is  badly  armed  and  disciplined.  Some 
time  ago  the  soldiers  revolted,  and  for  some  days  amused 
themselves  by  firing  their  muskets  about  the  place,  and 
demanding  drink  and  money  from  the  traders.  There 
was  nobody  killed  or  wounded,  no  house  or  store  robbed 
or  sacked,  the  mutineers  in  fact  behaving  remarkably 
well.  The  commandant  kept  indoors  until  the  news 
reached  Loanda,  and  after  several  days  the  Governor- 
General  arrived  in  a  Portuguese  man-of-war  with  troops, 
which  were  disemb:irked,  the  valiant  Governor-General 
remaining  on  board  till  order  was  restored,  when  lie 
landed,  had  a  couple  of  the  ringleaders  thrashed,  made 
a  speech  to  the  rest  of  the  mutineers,  and  returned  to 
Loanda,  leaving  the  tall  commandant  to  twirl  his  mous- 
taches. The  Governor-General  was  at  that  time  an  officer 
called  Jose  da  Ponte  e  Horta,  and  though  not  one  of  the 
most  competent  men  that  Portugal  has  sent  to  Angola 
as  governor,  the  inhabitants  of  Loanda  have  to  thank 
him  for  paving  a  great  part  of  their  sandy  city. 

Were  not  the  natives  of  Ambriz  such  a  remarkably 
inoHensive  and  imwarlike  race,  they  would  long  ago  have 
driven  the  Portuguese  into  the  sea.  It  is  a  great  pity 
that  Portugal  should  neglect  so  disgracefully  her  colonies, 
so  rich  in  themselves,  and  offering  such  wonderful  advan- 
tages in  every  way  for  colonization  and  development. 

In  the  year  1791  the  Portuguese  built  a  fort  at  Quincollo, 
about  six  miles  up  the  Eiver  Loge,  on  a  low  liill  command- 
ing the  road  from  Ambriz  to  Bemibe  and  St.  Salvador, 
Avhere  they  then  had  a  large  establishment,  and  the  masses 
of  masonry  still  remain,  a  standing  memorial  of  the  former 
energy  and  bravery  of  the  Portuguese  Avho  subjugated  the 


AMBRIZ.  81 


tlien  powerful  kingdom  of  Congo  and  tlie  savage  tribes  of 
the  coast,  so  strikingly  in  contrast  to  the  present  spiritless 
and  disgraceful  miliiary  misrule  of  Angola. 

Ambriz  boasts  of  the  only  iron  pier  in  Angola,  and  this 
was  erected  at  my  instigation.  It  is  200  feet  long,  and  is 
a  great  advantage  in  loading  and  discharging  cargo  into 
or  from  the  lighters. 

Ambriz  is  an  open  roadstead,  and  vessels  have  to  anclior 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  beach,  and  though  the 
surf  sometimes  interferes  with  the  above  operations  on 
the  beach,  vessels  are  always  safe,  such  things  as  storms 
or  heavy  seas  being  unknown. 

Behind  the  beacli  a  salt,  marshy  plain  extends  inland 
for  a  mile  or  so,  and  nearly  to  Quissembo  in  a  northerly 
direction.  Along  the  edge  of  this  plain  is  the  road  to 
Quincollo,  and  many  little  ravines  or  valleys  lead  into  it. 
These,  in  the  hot  season  particularly,  are  most  lovely  in 
their  vegetation,  the  groups  of  gigantic  Euphorbias  fes- 
tooned with  many  delicate-leaved  creepers  being  especially 
quaint  and  beautiful. 

A  handsome  orange  and  black  diurnal  moth  is  found 
abundantly  about  Ambriz,  and  is  curious  from  its  ex- 
haling a  strong  smell  of  gum  benzoin,  so  strong  indeed 
as  to  powerfully  scent  the  collecting  box.  It  is  the 
'*  Eusemia  ochracea"  of  entomologists. 

In  1872,  the  ship  "Thomas  Mitchell"  took  a  cargo  of 
coals  from  England  to  Eio  de  Janeiro,  and  after  discharging 
proceeded  in  ballast  to  Ambriz.  The  crew  on  arrival  were 
suffering  from  '^  chigoes  "  or  '*  jiggers"  in  their  feet,  which 
they  contracted  in  the  Brazils.  These  pests  were  quickly 
communicated  to  the  black  crews  of  our  boats  and  intro- 
duced on  shore,  and  in  a  short  time  everyone  in  Ambriz 
had  them  in  their  feet  and  hands.  Many  of  the  blacks 
were  miserable  objects  from  the  ravages  of  this  horrid 
insect  on  their  feet  and  legs,  in  the  skin  of  \\hich  they 
burrow  and  breed.  They  gradually  extended  up  the 
coast,  but. not  towards  the  interior.  By  last  advices  they 
appear  to  be  dying  out  at  Ambriz.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
such  is  the  case,  and  that  this  fresh  acquisition  to  the  insect 


88  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

scourges  of  tropical  Africa  may  be  only  temporary.  A 
friend  just  arrived  from  the  coast  tells  me  that  they  have 
already  reached  Gaboon,  and  they  will  doubtlessly  run 
all  the  way  up  the  coast. 

Previous  to  the  occupation  of  Ambriz  by  the  Portuguese 
in  1855,  the  natives  used  to  bring  down  a  considerable 
quantity  of  fine  malachite  from  Bembe  for  sale.  A  Bra- 
zilian slave-dealer,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  enterprise, 
called  Francisco  Antonio  Flores,  who_,  after  the  abolition 
of  the  slave-trade,  laboured  incessantly  to  develop  the 
resources  cf  Angola,  in  which  effort  he  sank  the  large 
fortune  he  had  previously  amassed,  obtained  the  concession 
of  the  Bembe  mines  from  the  Portuguese  G-overnment, 
who  sent  an  expedition  to  occupy  the  country,  and 
succeeded  without  any  opposition  on  the  part  of  the 
natives. 

Ill  January,  1858,  I  was  engaged  by  th.e  Western 
Africa  Malachite  Copper  Mines  Company,  who  had  ac- 
quired the  mines  from  Senhor  Flores,  to  accompany  a 
party  of.  twelve  miners  sent  under  a  Cornish  mining 
captain  to  explore  them.  We  arrived  at  Bembe  on  the 
8th  IMarch,  and  the  next  day  seven  of  the  men  were  down 
with  fever ;  the  others  also  quickly  fell  ill,  and  for  three 
months  that  followed  of  the  heavy  rainy  season,  they 
passed  through  great  discomforts  from  want  of  proper 
accommodation.  Ultimately  eight  died  within  the  next 
nine  months,  and  the  rest  had  to  be  sent  home,  with  the 
exception  of  one  man  and  myself.  This  result  was  not  so 
much  the  effect  of  the  climate,  as  the  want  of  proper 
lodgings  and  care. 

The  superintendent  was  at  that  time  the  Portuguese 
commandant,  who  of  course  did  not  interfere  with  the 
mining  captain,  an  ignorant  man,  who  made  tlio  men 
work  in  the  same  manner  of  day  and  night  shifts  as  if 
they  were  in  Cornwall,  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun,  in 
their  wet  clothes,  &c. 

An  English  superintendent  next  arrived,  but  he  unfor- 
tunately was  addicted  to  intemperance,  and  soon  died 
from  the  effects   of  the  brandy  bottle.     After   being   at 


MALACHITE,  89 


JBembe  eight  or  nine  months,  the  mining  captain,  either 
from  stupidity  or  wilfulness,  not  only  had  not  discovered  a 
single  pound  of  malachite,  but  insisted  that  there  was 
none  in  the  place,  where  the  natives  for  years  previously 
had  extracted  from  200  to  300  tons  every  dry  season  !  In 
view  of  his  conduct  I  took  upon  myself  the  responsibility 
of  taking  charge  of  the  mining  operations,  and  sent  him 
back  to  England.  A  few  days  alter  we  discovered  fine 
blocks  of  malachite,  fifteen  tons  of  which  I  sent  to  the 
Company  in  the  same  steamer  that  took  liim  home. 

It  would  not  interest  the  reader  to  describe  minutely 
the  causes  that  led  gradually  to  the  abandonment  of  the 
working  of  these  mines,  and  to  the  heavy  loss  sustained  by 
the  Company,  but  I  am  convinced  that,  had  diily  qualified 
and  experienced  men  directed  the  working  from  the  be- 
ginning, they  would  have  proved  a  success.  Many  hundred 
tons  of  malachite  were  afterwards  raised,  with  the  help  of 
a  very  lew  white  miners,  but  too  late  to  correct  the  pre- 
vious mistakes  and  losses. 

During  the  years  1858  and  1859,  I  travelled  the  road 
from  Anibriz  to  Bembe  eight  times,  and  in  the  month 
of  April  1873,  I  went  again,  for  the  last  time,  with  my 
wife. 

Lieutenant  Grandy  and  his  brother  had  been  our  guests 
at  Ambriz,.Avhere  we  had  supplied  them  with  the  greater 
part  of  the  beads  and  goods  they  required  for  their 
arduous  journey  into  the  interior.  These  gentlemen,  it 
will  be  recollected,  were  sent  by  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  to  discover  the  source  of  the  Congo,  and  to  meet 
and  aid  Dr.  Livingstone  in  the  interior  should  he  have 
crossed  the  continent  from  the  east  coast,  as  it  was 
imagined  he  might  probably  do. 

We  had  arranged  to  proceed  together  from  Anibriz  as 
far  as  Bembe,  but  owning  to  the  great  mortality  in  tlie 
country  from  two  successive  visitations  of  small-pox,  whicli 
had  ravaged  the  coast,  we  were  unable  to  obtain  the 
necessary  number  of  carriers.  The  two  brothers  alone 
required  nearly  200,  and  as  only  a  few  comparatively 
could  be  had  at  a  time,  they  went  singly  first,  and  about  a 


90  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

week  after  they  had  both  started  my  wife  and  myself  were 
able  to  get  together  sufficient  carriers  to  leave  also. 

To  travel  in  a  country  like  Angola  it  is  necessary  to  be 
provided  with  almost  everything  in  the  way  of  food  and 
clothing,  and  goods  for  money,  and  as  everything  has  to 
be  carried  on  men's  heads,  a  great  number  of  carriers  are 
necessarily  requisite. 

The  "tipoia,"  or  hammock,  is  the  universal  travelling 
apparatus  in  Angola  (Plate  I.),  and  is  of  two  forms,  the 
simple  hammock  slung  to  a  palm  pole  (the  stem  of  the  leaf 
of  a  Metroxylon,  Welw.)  which  is  very  strong  and  ex- 
tremely light,  or  the  same  with  a  light-painted  waterproof 
cover,  and  curtains,  very  comfortable  to  travel  in,  and 
always  used  by  the  Portuguese  to  the  interior  of  Loanda, 
where  the  country  is  more  open,  and  better  paths  or  roads 
exist,  but  they  would  quickly  be  torn  to  pieces  north,  and 
on  the  road  to  Bembe,  from  the  very  dense  bush,  and  in 
the  wet  season  the  very  high  grass ;  consequently  the  plain 
hammock  and  pole  only  are  generally  employed,  the 
traveller  shading  himself  from  the  sun  by  a  movable 
cover  held  in  position  by  two  cords,  or  by  using  a  white 
umbrella.  When  travelling  long  distances  six  or  eight 
bearers  are  necessary ; — the  two  hammock  carriers  gene- 
rally run  at  a  trot  for  about  two  hours  at  a  stretch,  when 
another  couple  take  their  places. 

On  any  well-known  road  the  natives  have  established 
changing  or  resting  places,  which,  when  not  at  a  town,  are 
generally  at  some  shady  tree  or  place  where  water  is  to 
be  had, — or  at  the  spots  where  fairs  are  held,  or  food  cooked 
and  exposed  for  sale  by  the  women. 

When  the  road  was  clear  of  grass,  in  the  dry  season,  I 
have  more  than  once  travelled  from  Ambriz  to  Bembe — ■ 
a  distance  of  not  less  than  130  miles — in  four  days,  with 
only  eight  bearers  and  light  luggage,  and  this  without  in 
any  way  knocking  up  or  distressing  the  carriers,  and  only 
running  from  daybreak  to  nightfall; — very  often  they 
joined  in  a  "  batuco "  or  dance,  for  several  hours  into 
the  night,  at  the  town  I  slept  at,  and  were  quite  fresh 
and  ready  to  start  next  morning. 


TRAVELLING,  91 


It  is  only  the  stronger  blacks  that  are  good  hammock- 
bearers,  especially  the  coast  races,  very  few  of  the  natives 
of  the  interior,  such  as  the  Mushicongos,  being  sufficiently 
powerful  to  cany  a  hammock  for  any  distance.  The 
motion  is  extremely  disagreeable  at  first,  from  the  strong 
lip  and  down  jerking  experienced,  but  one  soon  becomes 
quite  used  to  it,  and  falls  asleep  whilst  going  at  full  trot, 
just  as  if  it  were  perfectly  still.  The  natives  of  Loanda 
and  Benguella,  though  not  generally  such  strong  carriers 
as  the  Ambriz  blacks,  take  the  hammock  at  a  fast  walk 
instead  of  the  sharp  trot  of  the  latter,  and  consequently 
hammock  travelling  there  is  very  lazy  and  luxurious. 

The  pole  is  carried  on  the  shoulder,  and  rests  on  a 
small  cushion  generally  made  of  fine  grass  cloth  stuffed 
with  wild  cotton,  the  silky  fibre  in  the  seed  pod  of  the 
"Mafumeira,"  or  cotton-wood  tree  {Eriodendron  anfrac- 
tuosum),  or  "isca,"  a  brown,  woolly-like  down  covering 
the  stems  of  palm-trees.  Each  bearer  carries  a  forked 
stick  on  which  to  rest  the  pole  when  changing  shoulders, 
and  also  to  ease  the  load  by  sticking  the  end  of  it  under 
the  pole  behind  their  backs,  and  stretching  out  their 
arm  on  it.  No  one,  who  has  not  tried,  can  furm  an  idea 
what  hard,  wearying  work  it  is  to  carry  a  person  in  a 
hammock,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  these  blacks  will  run 
Avith  one  all  day,  in  the  hot  sun,  nearly  naked,  with  bare 
shaved  heads,  and  not  feel  distressed. 

On  arriving  at  any  stream  or  pool  they  dash  at  once 
into  the  water,  and  wash  off  the  perspiration  that  streams 
from  their  bodies,  and  I  never  heard  of  any  ill  consequence 
occurring  from  this  practice.  The  hammock-bearers  do 
not  as  a  rule  carry  loads ;  by  native  custom  they  are  only 
obliged  to  carry  the  white  man's  bed,  his  provision  box, 
and  one  portmanteau.  To  take  my  wife,  myself,  a  tent, 
— as  it  was  the  rainy  season — provisions,  bedding,  and  a 
few  changes  of  clothes,  only  what  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  a  month's  journey,  we  had  to  engage  exactly 
thirty  carriers ;  this  included  our  cook  and  iiis  boy  with 
the  necessary  pots  and  pans,  our  "Jack  Wash,"  as  the 
laundry  boys  are  called,  with  his  soap  and  irons,  and  one 


92  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

man  with  the  drying  papers  and  boxes  for  collecting  plants 
and  insects.  \Ve  also  took  a  Madeira  cane  chair,  very 
usefid  to  be  carried  in  across  the  streams  or  marshes  we 
should  meet  with. 

All  being  ready  we  started  off,  passing  Quincollo  and 
arriving  at  Quingombe,  where  we  encamped  for  the  night 
on  top  of  a  hill  to  be  out  of  the  way,  as  I  thought,  of  a 
peculiarly  voracious  mosquito  very  abundant  there,  and 
of  which  I  had  had  experience  in  my  former  journeys  to 
and  from  Bembe. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  first  night  I  passed  there  in 
going  up  to  the  mines  with  the  twelve  miners.  There 
was  at  that  time  a  large  empty  barracoon  built  of  sticks 
and  grass,  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers.  Soon 
after  sunset  a  hum  like  that  of  distant  bees  was  heard, 
and  a  white  mist  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  marshy 
land  below,  which  was  nothing  less  than  a  cloud  of 
mosquitoes.  The  men  were  unprovided  with  mosquito 
nets,  and  the  consequence  was  that  sleep  was  perfectly  out 
of  the  question,  so  they  sat  round  the  table  smoking  and 
drinking  coffee,  and  killing  mosquitoes  on  their  hands  and 
faces  all  night  long.  I  had  been  given  an  excellent  mos- 
quito bar  or  curtain,  but  the  ground  was  so  full  of  sand- 
ileas,  that  although  I  was  not  troubled  with  mosquitoes, 
the  former  kept  me  awake  and  feverish.  In  the  morning 
we  laughed  at  our  haggard  appearance,  and  swollen  faces 
and  hands ;  luckily  we  were  not  so  troubled  any  more  on 
our  journey  up. 

\Vhere  mosquitoes  are  in  such  abundance,  nothing  but 
a  proper  curtain  will  avail  against  them ;  smoking  them 
out  is  of  very  little  use,  as  only  such  a  large  amount  of 
acrid  smoke  will  effectually  drive  them  away  as  to  make 
the  remedy  almost  unbearable.  The  substances  usually 
burnt  in  such  cases  are  dry  cow-dung,  mandioca-meal,  or 
white  Angola  gum. 

There  are  several  species  of  mosquito  in  Angola ;  tliat 
found  in  marshes  is  the  largest,  and  is  light  brown  in 
colour,  and  very  sluggish  in  its  flight  or  movements. 
When  the  fellow  settles  to  insert  his  proboscis,  it  is  quite 


MOSQUITOES.  93 


sufficient  to  put  the  tip  of  a  finger  on  him  to  annihilate 
him,  but  none  of  the  others  can  be  so  easily  killed ;  two 
or  three  species  —notably  a  little  black  shiny  iellow,  only 
found  near  nmning  water — are  almost  impossible  to  catch 
when  settled  and  sucking,  even  with  the  most  swiftly 
delivered  slap.  Another  species  is  beautifully  striped  or 
banded  with  black,  body  and  legs. 

Mosquitoes  rarely  attack  in  the  daytime,  except  in 
shady  places,  where  they  are  fond  of  lying  on  the  under 
side  of  leaves  of  trees.  Some  with  large  beautiful  plumed 
antennae  appear  at  certain  times  of  the  year  in  great  num- 
bers, and  are  said  to  be  the  males,  and  are  not  known  to 
bite  or  molest  in  any  way. 

Although  we  pitched  our  tent  on  top  of  a  hill  to  escape 
the  marsh  mosquitoes,  and  had  a  terri tic  rain-storm  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  night,  they  found  us  out,  and  in  the 
morning  the  inner  side  of  our  tent  was  completely  covered 
with  them  ; — had  we  not  slept  under  a  good  mosquito  net, 
we  should  have  passed  just  such  another  night  as  1  have 
described.  We  had  to  stop  a  second  night  on  this  hill 
to  wait  for  our  full  number  of  carriers.  The  scenery 
from  it  is  magnificent,  low  hills  covered  with  dense  bush 
of  the  prickly  acacia  tree  {A.  Welioitschii),  high  grass, 
baobabs  and  euphorbias,  and  in  the  low  places  a  great 
abundance  of  a  large  aloe,  with  pale  crimson  flowers  in 
tall  spikes. 

At  last  all  loads  were  properly  distributed  and  secured 
in  the  '*  mutetes,"  an  arrangement  in  which  loads  are  very 
conveniently  carried.  They  are  generally  made  from  the 
palm  leaves,  the  leaflets  of  which  are  woven  into  a  kind  of 
basket,  leaving  the  stems  only  about  ^\\q  or  six  feet  long ; 
a  little  shoe  or  slipper,  made  of  wood  or  hide,  is  secured 
to  the  under  side.  When  the  carrier  wishes  to  rest,  he 
bends  down  his  head  until  the  palm  stems  touch  the 
ground,  and  the  load  is  then  leant  up  against  a  tree.  If 
there  is  not  a  tree  handy,  then  the  eiid  of  their  stick  or 
staff  being  inserted  into  the  shoe,  forms  with  the  two  ends 
three  legs,  on  which  it  stands  securely.  This  shoe  is  also 
useful  with  the  staff  when  on  the  journey,  to  rest  the 


94  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

carrier  for  a  few  minutes  by  easin2^  the  weight  of  the  load 
off  his  head  without  setting  it  down.  The  natives  of  the 
interior  carry  loads  on  their  heads  that  they  aie  unable  to 
lift  easily  from  the  ground,  and  the  *'  mutete  "  is  therefore 
very  convenient.  In  carrying  a  large  bag  of  produce,  a 
long  stick  is  tied  on  to  each  side,  to  act  in  the  same  way 
as  the  "  mntete." 

In  four  days  we  arrived  at  Quiballa,  where  we  rested  a 
couple  of  days,  to  collect  plants  and  some  fine  butterflies 
from  the  thick  surrounding  woods,  and  to  dry  the  jilants 
we  had  gathered  thus  far.  The  country  we  had  passed 
was  compiratively  level,  and  the  scenery  for  the  most  part- 
was  very  like  that  of  a  deserted  park  overgrown  with  rank 
grass  and  weeds. 

As  Quiballa  is  approached  the  country  becomes  very 
hilly  in  all  directions,  and  the  vegetation  changes  to  fine 
trees  and  creepers,  conspicuous  amongst  which  is  the  India- 
rubber  plant  already  described. 

Quiballa  is  a  large  town  most  picturesquely  situated 
on  a  low,  flat-topped  hill,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
other  higher  hills,  and  separated  from  them  by  a  deep 
ravine  filled  with  magnificent  forest  vegetation,  -and  in 
the  bottom  of  which  a  shallow  stream  of  the  clearest 
water  runs  swiftly  over  its  fantastic  rocky  bed — all  little 
waterfalls  and  shady  transparent  pools.  Our  finest  speci- 
mens of  butterflies,  such  as  Gcdartia  Trajamis,  Bomaleo- 
soma  losinga,  B.  medon,  Euryphene  Plidonax  and  others, 
were  collected  in  these  lovely  woods ;  they  do  not  come 
out  into  the  sunny  open,  but  flit  about  in  the  shadiest 
part  under  the  trees,  flying  near  the  ground,  and  occa- 
sionally settling  on  a  leaf  or  branch  on  which  a  streak  of 
sunshine  falls  through  the  leafy  vault  above.  Other 
species,  such  as  the  Papilios  (P.  menestheus,  P.  hriitus, 
P.  demoleiis,  P.  erinus,  Diadema  misuppus),  &c.  (S:c.,  on 
the  contrary,  we  only  found  in  the  lull  sunshine,  on  the 
low  bushes  and  flowering  plants,  skirting,  as  with  a  broad 
belt,  the  woods  or  forest. 

The  change  in  vegetation  from  the  coast  to  Quiballa 
may  be  due  not  only  to  difference  of  altitude,  but  partly 


QUI  BALL  A.  95 


to  tlie  rock  of  the  country,  wliich  is  a  large-grained,  very 
qiiartzose  mica  rock  or  gneiss  from  the  coast  to  near 
Quiballa,  where  it  changes  to  a  soft  mica  slate,  easily 
decomposed  by  water  and  atmospheric;  influences.  Several 
species  of  birds,  very  abundant  on  the  coast  and  as  far  as 
Matuta,  disappear  about  Quiballa,  the  most  notable  being 
the  common  African  crow  (Corvus  seapulatus),  the  bril- 
liantly-coloured, starlings  {Lamj)rocoUus)f  and  the  several 
rollers;  doves  also,  so  abundant  on  the  coast,  are  com- 
paratively rare  after  passing  Quiballa. 

The  Coracias  caudata,  the  most  beautiful  of  the  African 
rollers,  has  a  very  extraordinary  manner  of  flying, 
tumbling  about  in  a  zig-zag  fashion  in  the  air  as  if 
drunk,  and  chattering  loudly  all  the  time.  I  once 
shot  at  one  on  the  top  of  a  high  tree  at  JMatuta  ;  it 
fell  dead,  as  I  thought,  but  on  picking  it  up  I  was  gladly 
surprised  to  find  it  quite  uninjured,  and  only  stunned 
apparently.  I  placed  it  in  a  hastily-constructed  cage, 
and  took  it  wiih  me  to  Bembe,  where  it  became  quite 
tame,  and  I  liad  it  several  months,  till  my  boy,  feeding 
it  one  morning,  left  the  door  of  its  cage  open,  and  it  flew 
away.  In  its  native  state  it  feeds  principally  on  grass- 
oppers ;  in  captivity  its  food  was  mostly  raw  meat,  which 
it  ate  greedily. 

The  starlings  of  darkest  shades  of  blue,  with  bright 
yellow  eyes,  are  strikingly  beautiful  when  seen  flying,  the 
sunshine  reflecting  the  metallic  lustre  of  their  plumage. 

The  cooing  of  the  doves  serves  the  natives  at  night 
instead  of  a  clock,  as  they  coo  at  the  same  hours  as  the 
common  cock,  and  in  travelling,  if  the  natives  are  asked 
the  time  during  the  night,  they  always  refer  to  the  *'  dove 
having  sung,"  as  they  term  it,  or  not.  Its  cooing  a  little 
before  day-dawn  is  the  signal  to  prepare  ibr  the  start  that 
day. 

At  the  town  of  Quirillo,  where  we   slept  one  night, 

the  Madeira  chair  first  came  into  use,  to  cross  a  stream 

\and  marsh  in  which  the  water  came  up  to  the  men's  necks. 

Our  hammock-boys  thought  it  fine  fun  to  pass  us  over  the 

different  streams  in  the  chair ;  all  twelve  would  stand  in 


96  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO, 

the  water  close  together,  with  the  chair  on  their  shoulders, 
and  pass  my  wife  across  first,  singing  in  chorus,  *'  Mun- 
delle  mata-bicho,  Mundelle  mata-bicho "  (Mundelle  = 
white-man,  mata-bicho  =  a  '*dash"  of  a  drink  of  rum). 
On  landing  her  safely  they  would  yell  and  whistle  like 
demons,  accompanied  by  all  the  rest  on  the  banks,  and 
splash  and  dabble  about  like  ducks  in  the  water.  The 
chair  would  then  come  back  for  me,  and  the  same  scene 
be  again  enacted.  A  bottle  of  rum,  or  a  couple  of 
bunches  of  beads,  was  always  the  reward  for  crossing  us 
over  without  wetting  us. 

Quiballa  is  by  far  the  largest  town  to  be  met  with  from 
Ambriz,  and  contains  several  hundred  huts  distributed 
irregularly  over  the  flat  top  of  the  hill  on  which  it 
stands.  The  huts  are  square,  built  of  sticks  covered 
with  clay,  and  roofed  with  grass.  The  principal  room 
in  the  largest  hut  was  swept  out,  and  placed  at  our 
disposal  by  the  king,  and  we  made  ourselves  very  com- 
forta(de  in  it.  The  king,  Dom  Paolo,  is  a  fine,  tall  old 
negro,  and  knowing  of  our  arrival  sent  his  son  and  a  num- 
ber of  men  to  meet  us,  when  they  took  my  wife's  ham- 
mock, and  raced  her  iuto  the  town  at  a  great  pace.  He 
has  considerable  influence  in  the  country,  where  his  is  an 
important  town,  as  it  marks  the  limits  of  the  coast  or 
Ambriz  race,  and  that  of  the  Mushicongo  tribe  beyond. 

Tiiere  is  a  jrood  deal  of  rivalry  between  the  two  races ; — 
the  Ambriz  blacks  do  not  like  going  beyond  Quiballa,  and 
the  Mushicongos  object  to  go  into  the  x\mbriz  country. 
Before  the  road  Avas  taken  possession  of  by  the  Portuguese, 
Quiballa  was  the  great  halting-place  for  the  two  tribes, 
the  Mushicongos  bringing  the  proceeds  of  the  copper 
mines  at  Bembe  to  sell  to  the  Ambriz  natives,  who  then 
carried  it  to  the  traders  on  the  coast.  With  the  increased 
trade  in  other  produce,  a  great  deal  of  this  separation  has 
been  done  away  with,  and  both  tribes  now  mingle  more 
freely;  but  at  the  time  I  was  engaged  at  the  Bembe  mines 
we  were  obliged  to  have  a  large  store  at  Quiballa  to  receive 
loads  goini<  up  from  Ambriz,  and  copper  ore  coming  down 
from  Bembe,  and  there  change  carriers. 


VIEW   IN   THK   HILLY   COUNTRY   OF  QUIBALLA- 


-0AM0EN8IA    MAXIMA. 

3b  fact  page  97. 


QUIBALLA.  97 


The  Ambriz  negroes,  being  very  much  stronger  never 
objected  to  any  loads,  however  heavy,  some  of  the>e  going 
np  the  c(-untry  with  sixteen  or  twenty  carriers,  such  as  tlie 
heavy  pieces  of  the  steam-engine,  saw  mill,  pnmps,  &c. 
There  was  great  difficulty  in  inducing  the  Mushicongos  to 
take  thf'se  heavy  and  very  often  cumbersome  loads  from 
Quiballa  to  Bembe,  and  once,  when  loads  for  upwards  of 
lOuO  carriers  had  accumulated  at  the  store,  I  was  obliged 
to  hit  upon  the  following  plan  to  get  the  Mushicongos  to 
take  them  up,  and  it  succeeded  admirably. 

I  engai-ed  1000  carriers  at  Bembe  to  go  empty-handed 
to  Quiballa  for  the  cargo  there,  and  paid  them  only  the 
customary  number  of  beads  for  rations  on  the  road, 
rations  for  the  return  journey  to  be  paid  at  Quiballa, 
and  pay  for  the  whole  journey  at  Bembe,  on  delivery  of 
tlie  loads.  My  calculation  was  that  the  greater  number 
would  be  forced  from  hunger  to  take  them,  and  so  it  hap- 
pened. The  morning  after  we  arrived  at  Quiballa  they  all 
flatly  refused  to  take  a  single  load  of  the  machinery  in  the 
store  ; — I  very  quietly  told  them  they  might  go  about  their 
business,  and  for  three  days  I  was  yelled  at  by  them,  but 
they  were  at  last  forced  to  accept  my  terms,  and  I  returned 
to  Bembe  with  800  loads. 

It  was  at  Quiballa  that  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
obtain  specimens  of  the  flowers,  and  a  quantity  of  ripe 
seeds  of  the  beautiful  plant  named  "  Camoensia  maxima  " 
by  its  discoverer.  Dr.  Welwitsch.  We  saw  it  growing 
along  the  sides  of  the  road  as  soon  as  we  left  the  gneiss 
formation  and  entered  on  the  mica  slate,  but  most* abun- 
dantly in  the  more  bare  places  on  the  sides  of  the  liills  at 
Quiballa,  in  the  very  hard  clay  of  the  decomposed  mica 
slate. 

The  Ca7noensia  maxima  (Plate  VI.)  grows  as  a  hard, 
woody  bush,  with  rather  straggling  long  branches  covered 
with  fine  large  leaves,  and  bearing  bunches  of  flowers,  the 
lower,  and  by  far  the  largest  petal  of  which  is  shaped  like  a 
shell,  of  a  delicate  creamy  white,  with  its  edges  exquisitely 
crisped,  bordered  wath  a  golden  rim,  and  nearly  the  size  of 
an  open  hand.     Its  roots  spread  underground  to   great 

n 


93  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 

distances  and  shoot  out  into  other  plants,  so  that  on  at- 
tempting to  remove  what  we  thought  nice  small  plants,  wo 
always  came  on  great  thick  roots  which  we  followed  and 
found  to  proceed  from  old  bushes  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. Several  small  plants  that  we  brought  away  alive 
died  subsequently  at  Arabriz.  Half  a  dozen  of  the  seeds 
germinated  on  arrival  at  Kew  Gardens,  so  that  I  hope 
this  lovely  flower  will  be  shortly  in  cultivation,  a  welcome 
addition  to  our  hot-houses.  All  the  plants  that  we  collected 
and  dried  are  deposited  in  the  herbarium  at  Kew  Gardens. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  towns  on  the  coast  inhabited  by 
the  Ambriz  blacks,  and  which  disappears  inland,  is  their 
being  surrounded  by  a  thick,  high  belt  or  hedge  of  a 
curious  thin,  very  branching  Euphorbia. 

The  huts  in  coast  towns  are  all  built  separately,  but 
near  one  another,  in  a  clear  space,  and  not  separated  by 
trees  or  hedges ;  in  the  interior,  however,  the  space  occu- 
pied by  the  towns  is  very  much  larger,  and  many  of  the 
huts  are  built  in  a  square  piece  of  ground  and  enclosed 
by  a  hedge  either  of  a  square-stemmed,  prickly,  cactus-like 
Euphorbia,  or  more  generally  of  the  Physic-nut  plant 
(Jatropha  curcas),  the  "Purgueira"  of  the  Portuguese,  and 
from  the  greater  number  of  trees  and  palms  left  standing, 
the  towns  are  very  much  prettier,  some  beicg  remarkably 
picturesque.  Most  of  them  are  situated  in  woods,  which 
aie  not  found  in  the  littoral  region.  The  huts  of  the 
Mushicongos,  from  the  greater  abundance  of  building 
materials,  are  very  much  larger  than  those  of  the  Ambriz 
blacks,  and  very  often  contain  two  rooms.  The  towns  of 
both  are  remarkably  clean,  and  are  always  kept  well  swept, 
as  are  also  the  interiors  of  their  huts ; — their  brooms  are  a 
bundle  of  twigs,  and  the  dust,  ashes,  &c.,  are  always  thrown 
into  the  bush  surrounding  the  towns. 

A  cleanly  habit  of  all  blacks,  and  one  which  it  always 
struck  me  might  be  imitated  with  advantage  by  more 
civilized  countries,  is  that  of  always  turning  away  their 
faces  to  expectorate,  and  invariably  covering  it  with  dust 
or  sand  with  their  ieet. 

At  certain  places  on  the  road,  generally  in  the  vicinity 


QUIBALLA.  99 


of  water  or  where  several  trees  afford  a  convenient  shade, 
a  kind  of  little  mnrket  is  held  all  day,  of  plantains,  green 
Indian  corn,  manclic  ca  roots,  and  other  articles  of  food  for 
the  supply  of  the  carriers  or  natives  passing  np  and  down. 
Here  the  women  from  the  neighbouring  towns  come  with 
their  pots,  and  cook  food,  such  as  dr}''  fish  and  beans,  and 
sell  "garapa"  or  "uallua,"  as  a  kind  of  beer  made  from 
Indian  corn  is  called. 

My  wife,  of  course,  excited  the  greatest  curiosity  in  all 
the  towns  we  passed  through;  only  two  white  women 
(both  Portuguese)  had  before  made  the  journey  to  Bembe, 
and  the  remarks  and  observations  made  on  her  appear- 
ance, principally  by  the  women,  were  often  very  amusing. 
One  old  woman  at  a  town  where  we  stayed  to  breakfast, 
and  who  was  the  king's  mother,  after  watching  us  for 
some  time,  expressed  her  satisfaction  at  our  conduct,  and 
said  we  appeared  to  be  a  very  loving  pair,  as  I  had  helped 
my  wife  first  to  food  and  drink.  She  was  very  thankful 
for  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  a  handful  of  lumps  of  sugar  for 
her  couoh.  Their  greatest  astonishment,  however,  was  at 
our  India-rubber  bed  and  bath,  and  the  whole  town  would 
flock  round  in  breathless  amazement  to  see  them  blown 
out  ready  for  use,  when  our  tent  had  been  put  up.  Some 
would  ask  to  be  allowed  to  touch  them,  and  would  then 
look  quite  frightened  at  their  peculiar  feel. 

In  the  mornings  on  coming  out  of  our  tent  we  would 
generally  find  a  large  audience  squatted  on  the  ground 
waiting  for  our  appearance,  to  wish  us  good  morning, 
though  curiosity  to  see  the  finishing  touches  of  our  toilette 
was  the  principal  cause. 

My  wife's  last  operations  of  hair-dressing,  which  could 
not  be  conveniently  effected  in  the  closed  tent,  seemed  to 
cause  them  most  surprise.  Beyond  this  very  natural 
curiosity  to  see  us,  we  were  never  once  annoyed  by  any 
rudeness  or  impropriety  on  the  part  of  tlie  natives. 

Having  rested  a  couple  of  days  at  Quiballa,  we  again 
started  on  our  journey.  The  road  (which  is  nowhere 
other  than  a  narrow  path,  only  admitting  the  passage 
of  blacks  in  single  file),  after   leaving  Quiballa,  winds 

H  2 


100  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

around  some  rocky  hills,  which  are  succeeded  by  a  couple 
of  miles  of  level  valley  thickly  grown  with  cane  and  very 
high  grass!,  until  the  hill  called  Tuoo  is  reached,  tJje  first 
great  sudden  elevation.  On  the  left  is  a  deep  valley, 
filled  with  an  almost  impenetrable  forest  of  the  moet 
luxuriant  foliage  and  creepers;  the  great  trunks  and 
branches  of  the  high  trees  are  mostly  white  and  shiny, 
and  contrast  in  a  singular  manner  with  the  dark  green  of 
their  leaves.  On  the  right  the  hill-side  is  also  covered 
with  trees  and  bush  on  which  was  growing  abundantly  a 
beautiful  creeper,  b'earing  large  liandsome  leaves  and 
bright  yellow  fiowers  (Liiffa  sp.).  From  the  top,  looking 
back  tow^arls  Quiballa,  a  magnificent  view  is  obtained. 
As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  is  seen  a  succession  of 
forest-covered  mountains  brightly  lit  in  the  cloudless  sun 
to  the  distant  horizon,  shaded  off  into  a  haze  of  lovely 
blue.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  imagine  a  more  ex- 
quisite panorama,  and  words  fail  to  describe  its  beauty 
and  grandeur. 

After  this  hill  is  passed,  the  country  continues  com- 
paratively level  for  some  miles,  and  is  very  beautiful, 
being  covered  with  dense  vegetation,  in  which  are  seen 
abundance  of  dark  feathery  palms,  relieved  by  the  bright 
green  patches  of  the  banana  groves,  planted  round  the 
little  towns.  The  soil  is  very  fertile,  and  many  ground- 
nut and  mandioca  plantations  are  seen  everywhere. 

Our  first  halt  was  at  Ngungungo,  a  large  and  very 
picturesque  town,  where  there  is  a  considerable  trade 
carried  on  in  mandioca  root  and  its  different  preparations, 
as  well  as  in  beans  and  ground-nuts,  the  produce  of  the 
country  around. 

After  passing  this  town  the  road  becomes  very  rocky 
and  ston)^  necessitating  getting  out  of  the  hammocks 
and  walking  a  good  deal  over  the  rough  ground.  Farther 
on,  another  steep  but  bare  hill  had  to  be  ascended,  and 
finally  we  reached  a  little  new  town  called  Quioanquilla, 
where  we  slept.  This  had  been  a  large  and  important 
town,  but  the  natives  having  robbed  several  caravans 
going  up  to  the  mines,  the  Portuguese  punished  them 


Q  UIBALLA  T&  ^  ^ff.  \}^Md. "'  ^ ''  r«.  S  '•  ^  :  /joi 

by  burning  it  some  years  ago.  We  saw  a  considerable 
quantity  of  wild  pineapples  growing  about  this  town,  but 
the  natives  make  no  use  of  its  tine  fibre,  contenting 
tbemselves  with  eating  the  unripe  fruit. 

Next  day's  journey  brought  us,  early  in  the  afternoon, 
to  a  very  prettily  situated  new  town,  of  which  a  little  old 
woman  was  the  queen ;  her  two  sons  were  the  head  men, 
and  we  were  most  hospitably  received  by  them. 

We  had,  fortunately,  thus  far  escaped  rain-storms  during 
the  day  whilst  travelling  ;  rain  had  always  come  down  at 
night,  when  we  v/ere  comfortably  housed  in  our  tent  or 
in  the  hut  at  Quiballa.  We  put  up  our  tent  in  an  open 
space  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  and  took  the  precaution, 
as  usual,  of  cutting  a  small  trench  round  it  to  carry  away 
the  water  in  case  of  rain.  When  we  retired  the  weather 
Avas  fine,  but  we  liad  not  been  asleep  long  before  we  were 
awakened  by  a  terrific  thunderstorm,  accompanied  by  tor- 
rents of  rain.  The  trench  overflowed,  and  a  stream  of  water 
began  to  enter  our  tent.  In  the  greatest  hurry  I  cut  another 
trench  along  the  side  of  our  bed,  a  foot  wide  and  about 
nine  inches  deep,  and  for  two  hours  did  this  drain  run  full 
of  water,  such  was  the  downpour  of  rain.  Next  morning 
we  continued  our  journey,  and  in  about  half-an-hour's  time 
arrived  at  a  rivulet  that  drained  what  was  usually  a  large 
marsh,  but  the  storm  of  the  previous  nif^ht  had  turned 
the  marsh  into  a  lake  and  the  rivulet  into  a  roaring 
stream  quite  impassable.  After  trying  it  lower  down, 
and  finding  we  could  not  ford  it,  we  had  no  alternative 
but  to  return  to  the  town  and  remain  there  for  that  day, 
or  till  the  water  should  have  subsided  sufficiently  to  enable 
us  to  cross.  The  remainder  of  the  day  we  employed  in 
collecting  insects  and  in  drying  the  plants  we  had  gathered 
the  last  few  days. 

A  child  was  born  whilst  we  were  in  this  town,  and, 
being  a  girl,  it  was  at  once  named  Eose,  after  my  wife, 
who  had  therefore  to  make  the  mother  a  present  of  a, 
piece  of  handkerchiefs  and  an  extra  fine  red  cotton  one 
lor  the  baby. 

Next  day  we  were  able  to  pass  the  swollen  stream  in 


102^  :  :     ;  y  li^N^'aLA^iA'^'Do'pHE  BIVER  CONGO. 

our  cLair,  after  a  couple  of  hours  spent  in  cutting  away 
branches  of  trees,  &c.,  that  obstructed  the  passage,  at  a 
place  where  the  depth  of  water  was  about  live  feet.  In 
a  fish-trap  I  here  found  the  curious  new  fish  described  by 
Dr.  A.  Giinther,  and  named  by  him  Gymnalldbes  apus 
('Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History'  for  August, 
1873). 

That  day's  journey,  through  a  country  alternately  covered 
with  lovely  forest  and  high  grass,  brought  us  to  the  large 
town  of  Quilumbo,  beautifully  situated  in  a  forest,  and 
with  a  great  number  of  oil-palm  trees  (Plate  YIL).  Tliis 
is  at  present  tlie  largest  and  most  important  town  on 
the  road  to  Bembe,  containing  several  hundred  huts  and 
quite  a  swarm  of  inhabitants.  About  noon  we  halted  for 
breakfast  at  a  market-place  near  a  town  on  the  Eiver 
Lifua.  Here  were  about  forty  or  fifty  armed  blacks,  with 
the  king  from  the  neighbouring  town,  all  getting  rapidly 
drunk  on  "  garapa,"  or  Indian-corn  beer ;  their  faces  and 
bodies  painted  bright  red,  with  a  few  white  spots,  look- 
ing like  so  many  stage  demons,  dancing,  singing,  and 
flourishing  their  guns  about.  They  were  all  going  to  a 
town  where  we  heard  the  kings  of  five  towns  were  to 
have  their  heads  cut  off  that  day  for  complicity  in  tlie 
murder  of  a  woman  by  one  of  them.  They  were  accom- 
panied by  a  man  blowing  a  large  wooden  trumpet  of  most 
extraordinary  form  (Plate  V.). 

This  trumpet  is  made  of  the  hollow  root  and  stem  of  a 
tree,  said  to  grow  in  the  mud  of  rivers  and  marshes ;  it 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  thinned  away  much  at  its 
narrow  end,  but  seems  to  have  grown  naturally  from  the 
large  flat  root  to  a  thin  stem  at  a  short  distance  above 
it.  I  immediately  wanted  to  buy  this  instrument,  but 
nothing  would  induce  the  king  to  part  with  it  till  I  offered 
to  exchange  it  for  a  brass  bugle.  I  had  to  give  them  a 
"  mucanda"  or  order  for  one  at  our  store  at  Ambriz  ;  even 
then  it  w^as  not  delivered  to  me,  but  tlie  king  agreed  to 
send  one  of  his  sons  to  Ambriz  with  it  on  my  return  from 
Bembe,  which  he  did,  and  thus  I  became  possessed  of  it. 
•  Next   day's   journey   was   through    pretty   undulating 


QUILUMDO  TO  BEMBE,  103 


country,  covered  principally  with  high  grass,  and  after 
passing  a  couple  of  small  towns  we  arrived,  early  in  the 
afternoon,  at  the  River  Luqueia,  which  we  passed  over  on 
a  very  good  plank  bridge,  just  built  by  the  Portngnese 
officer  commanding  the  small  detachment  at  Bembe. 
Here  our  carriers  stopped  for  about  an  hour,  bathing  in 
the  river,  and  dressing  themselves  in  their  best  cloths 
and  caps,  that  they  had  brought  with  them  carefully 
packed— so  as  to  make  their  appearance  in  a  dandy  con- 
dition on  entering  Bembe,  which  we  did  in  about  half-an- 
hour's  time,  having  to  w^alk  up  a  stiff  hill,  too  steep  to  be 
carried  up  in  our  hammocks. 

We  had  thus  travelled  the  whole  distance  from  Ambriz 
to  Bembe,  which,  as  I  have  before  stated,  is  certainly  not 
less  than  130  miles,  in  eight  travelling  days.  This  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  endurance  of  the  Ambriz  natives, 
as,  from  having  to  take  down  and  pack  the  tent  every 
morning,  and  make  hot  tea  or  coffee  before  starting,  it 
Mas  never  before  seven  or  eight  o'clock  that  we  were  on 
the  move.  Moreover,  from  the  rain  and  heavy  dew  at 
night,  the  high  grass  was  excessively  wet,  and  it  would 
not  do  to  start  till  it  had  somewhat  dried  in  the  morning 
sun.  In  going  through  woods  we  generally  got  out  of 
our  hammocks  in  the  grateful,  cool  shade,  and  collected 
butterflies,  the  finest  being  found  in  such  places.  In 
rocky  and  hilly  places  my  wife,  of  course,  could  not  get 
over  the  ground  on  foot  so  <3^uickly  as  a  man  might  have 
done. 

A  description  of  the  dress  she  adopted  may  be  useful  to 
other  ladies  who  may  travel  in  similar  wild  countries,  as 
she  found  it  exceedingly  comfortable  and  convenient  for 
going  through  wet  grass  and  tangled  bush,  and  through 
the  excessively  spiny  trees  and  thorny  bushes  of  the  first 
thirty  or  forty  miles  of  the  road.  It  was  very  simple  and 
loose,  and  consisted  of  one  of  my  coloured  cotton  shirts 
instead  of  the  usual  dress-body,  and  the  skirt  made  short 
and  of  a  strong  material,  fastening  the  shirt  round  the 
waist ;  either  or  both  could  then  be  easily  and  promptly 
changed  as  required. 


(    104    ) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BEMBE  —  MALACHITE  DEPOSIT  —  BOOT  PARASITE  —  EN- 
GONGUI  —  MORTALITY  OF  CATTLE  —  FAIKS  —  KING  OP 
CONGO  —  RECEPTIONS  —  CUSTOMS  —  SAN  SALVADOR  — 
FEVERS  —  RETURN   TO  AMBRIZ. 

Bembe  is  the  third  great  elevation,  and  it  stands  boldly 
and  cliff-like  out  of  tlie  broad  plain  on  which  we  have  been 
travelling-,  and  at  its  base  runs  the  little  river  Liiqueia.    " 

Approaching  it  from  the  westward,  we  see  a  high 
mountain  to  the  right  of  the  plateau  of  Bembe,  separated 
from  it  by  a  narrow  gorge  thickly  wooded  that  drains  the 
valley,  separating  in  its  turn  the  table  land  of  Bembe  from 
the  high  flat  country  beyond,  in  a  north  and  easterly 
direction.  TJiis  valley,  in  which  the  great  deposit  of 
malachite  exists,  is  about  a  mile  long  in  a  straight  line, 
and  runs  KN.W.  by  S.S.E.  (Plate  VIII.). 

It  is  a  cul-de-sac  at  its  northern  end,  terminating  in  a 
beautiful  waterfall  which  tb.e  waters  of  a  rivulet  have  worn 
in  the  clay  slate  of  the  country.  This  rivulet,  after  running 
at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  takes  a  sudden  bend  at  its 
southern  end,  and  escapes  through  the  narrow  gorge  des- 
cribed above  as  separatino'  the  peak  or  mountain  from  the 
table-land  of  Bembe.  The  side  of  the  valley  next  to 
Bembe  is  very  steep  along  its  whole  length,  and  shows  the 
clay  slate  of  the  country  perfectly ;  the  other  side,  how- 
ever, is  a  gradual  slope,  and  is  covered  by  a  thick  deposit 
of  clayey  earths,  in  which  the  malachite  is  irregularly 
distributed  for  the  wdiole  length  of  the  valley. 

The  malachite  is  often  found  in  large  solid  blocks ; — 
one  resting  on  two  smaller  ones  weighed  together  a  little 
over  three  tons,  but  it  occurs  mostly  in  flat  veins  without 
any  definite  dip  or  order,  swelling  sometimes  to  upward* 


i 


'''cii^i^i'^j  'I  i^'--/: 


C    C     C  c 


BEMBE— MALACHITE.  105 

of  two  feet  in  thickness,  and  much  fissured  in  character 
from  admixture  with  dark  oxide  of  iron,  with  which  it  is 
often  cemented  to  the  clay  in  which  it  is  contained. 

Two  kinds  of  clay  are  found,  a  ferruginous  red,  and  an 
unctuous  black  variety.  The  malachite  occurs  almost 
entirely  in  the  former.  A  large  proportion  was  obtained 
in  the  form  of  small  irregularly-shaped  shot,  by  washing 
the  clay  in  suitable  apparatus.  Large  quantities  had  been 
raised  by  the  natives  from  this  valley  before  the  country 
was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Portuguese. 

For  about  fifteen  years  previously,  as  before  stated, 
from  200  to  300  tons  per  annum  had  been  brought  down 
to  Ambriz  by  the  natives  for  sale.  The  mining  captain 
sent  out  by  the  English  Company  did  not  judiciously 
employ  his  force  of  miners  in  properly  exploring  the 
deposit,  so  that  its  extent  was  never  fully  ascertained ;  no 
shafts  were  sunk  to  more  than  six  or  ei;^ht  fathoms  in 
depth  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  from  the  quantity  of 
water  met  with,  but  in  several  places  the  bottom  of  these 
shafts  was  found  to  be  pure  solid  malachite.  In  no  case 
was  malachite  ever  found  in  the  clay  slate  rock  of  the 
country,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  vast  deposit 
was  brought  and  deposited  in  the  valley  by  the  agency  of 
water.  No  other  mineral  is  to  be  found  in  the  valley,  and 
only  some  rounded,  water-worn  pieces  of  limestone  were 
found  in  the  clay  and  associated  with  the  malachite. 

In  some  pieces  of  this  a  few  crystals  of  atacaraite  are  to 
be  rarely  seen.  The  clay  slate  is  completely  bare  of 
minerals, — with  very  few  veins  of  quartz,  which  is  highly 
crystalline, — has  well-defined  cleavage  planes,  with  a  strike 
of  N.W.  by  S.E.,  and  dips  to  the  8.S.W.  at  an  angle  of 
about  55°. 

In  no  part  of  Angola,  except  at  Mossaraedes,  have  any 
regular  lodes  or  deposits  of  copper  or  other  metals  (except 
iron)  been  found  in  situ  ;  all  bear  unmistakeable  evidences 
of  having  been  brought  from  elsewhere,  and  deposited  by 
the  action  of  water  in  the  places  where  they  are  now 
found. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  country  farther  to  the  interior 


lOG  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

will  be  found  immensely  rich — in  copper  principally — 
where  the  lodes  most  likely  exist  that  iiave  supplied  tlie 
enormous  amount  of  copper  carbonates  found  all  over 
Angola,  and  farther  nortli  at  Loango. 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  great  extent  of  the 
Bembe  deposit,  if  we  consider  the  manner  in  which  the 
natives  formerly  extracted  the  malachite.  It  was  entirely 
by  means  of  little  round  pits,  about  three  or  four  feet  in 
diameter,  simk  in  the  bottom  of  the  valley  and  along  its 
whole  length,  particularly  at  several  places  where  the  water 
draining  from  the  country  above  had.  washed  away  the  clay, 
and  formed  little  openings  on  the  same  level  as  the  bottom 
of  the  valley.  When  I  arrived  at  Bembe,  many  of  these 
pits  were  still  open  for  a  couple  of  fathoms  deep,  as  many 
as  eight  or  nine  pits  being  sunk  together  in  a  rich  spot. 
They  sunk  them  only  in  the  dry  season,  and  as  deep  as 
four  or  live  fathoms,  but  of  course,  they  were  never  canied 
down  quite  perpendicularly,  but  in  an  irregular  zigzag 
fashion,  and  not  being  timbered  they  often  fell  together, 
and  numbers  of  blacks  were  buried  alive  in  them  every 
year.  We  several  times  came  across  bones  of  blacks  who 
had  thus  lost  their  lives.  During  the  rainy  seascm,  of 
course,  these  pits  were  filled  up  with  water  and  mud,  and 
fresh  ones  had  to  be  dug  in  the  succeeding  dry  season. 

To  as(;end  and  descend  them  the  natives  drove  wooden 
pegs  into  the  walls,  and  their  only  mining  tools  were  the 
little  hoes  used  in  clearing  and  cultivating  tlie  ground 
and  the  cheap  spear-pointed  knives,  ten  or  eleven  inclies 
long,  they  received  in  barter  at  Ambriz  from  the  traders. 

The  mines  belonged  to  several  of  the  towns  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood,  principally  to  one  called  Matuta ;  but 
they  allowed  the  natives  of  other  towns  to  extract  mala- 
chite from  them,  on  payment  of  a  certain  quantity  of  the 
ore  they  raised. 

The  natives  of  Ambriz  who  went  up  to  Bembe  to  buy 
malachite  of  the  Mushicongos,  were  seLlora  allowed  to 
pass  the  River  Luqueia,  where  the  malachite  was  brought 
down  for  sale  by  measure,  in  little  baskets,  being  like  the 
red  gum  copal,  broken  into  moderate-sized  pieces,  except 


MALACHITE,  107 


the  finer  lump?,  wliich  were  sold  entire.  Most  of  the 
malachite  lias  since  been  obtained  by  means  of  levels 
driven  into  the  side  from  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  but 
the  great  mass,  below  the  level  at  which  water  is  reached, 
remains  practically  untouched. 

The  failure  of  the  English  Company,  from  causes  to  which 
it  is  here  unnecessary  further  to  advert,  caused  the  works 
at  the  mines  to  be  gradually  abandoned,  and  for  the  last 
few  years  the  Portuguese  have  allovved  the  blacks  to  work 
them  in  their  own  fashion  again,  and  I  was  very  sorry  to 
see  the  place  in  a  complete  state  of  ruin,  ^^ith  only  a  few 
stone  walls  overgrow  n  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  creepers 
and  other  plants  to  mark  the  places  where  the  houses  and 
stores  formerly  stood,  and  where  several  hundred  natives 
used  to  be  daily  at  work. 

During  the  years  1858  and  1859,  when  I  was  first  at 
Bam  be,  any  number  of  natives  could  be  had  from  the 
neighbouring  towns,  willing  to  work  at  the  mines,  and  as 
many  as  2U0  to  300  were  daily  employed,  principally  in 
carrying  the  ore  and  clay  to  clie  washing  floors,  cutting 
timber,  clearing  bush,  &c. ;  they  were  generally  engaged 
for  a  week's  time,  their  pay  ranging  from  one  to  three 
cotton  handkerchiefs,  and  twenty  or  thirty  beads  for  rations 
per  day.  Some  few  worked  steadily  for  several  weeks  or 
even  months,  when  they  would  go  off  to  their  towns,  with 
periiaps  only  a  few  handkerchiefs,  leaving  the  rest  of  their 
earnings  to  the  care  of  some  friend  at  Bembe  till  their 
return,  as,  if  they  took  such  an  amount  of  wealth  to 
their  towns,  they  ran  the  risk  of  being  accused  of  "fetish" 
and  of  having  the  whole  taken  from  them,  with  perhaps  a 
beating  besides.  Yery  often  they  would  go  "  on  the  spree  '* 
for  a  week  or  more  till  they  had  spent  it  all  on  drink  and 
rioting,  when  they  would  return  to  visit  their  towns  nearly 
as  poor  as  when  they  arrived. 

Our  best  workmen  were  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison, 
mostly  blacks  and  mulattoes  from  Loanda,  and  belonging 
to  a  sapper  corps,  and  consequently  having  some  know- 
ledge ot  working,  and  of  tools  and  implements.  It  was 
great  trouble  to  teach  the  natives  the  use  of  the  pick  and 


lOS  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

shovel,  and  the  wheelbarrow  was  a  special  difficulty  and 
stumbling-block; — when  not  carrying  it  on  their  heads, 
wliich  they  always  did  when  it  was  empty,  two  or  three 
would  carry  it,  but  the  most  amusing  manner  in  which  I 
saw^  it  used,  was  once  where  a  black  was  liolding  up  the 
handles,  but  not  pushing  at  all,  whilst  another  in  front 
was  walking  backward,  and  turning  the  Avheel  round  to- 
wards him  with  his  hands.  As  many  as  1000  carriers 
at  a  time  could  easily  be  had  from  the  neighbouring 
towns  to  carry  the  copper  ore  to  Quiballa  or  Ambriz,  by 
giving  them  two  or  three  days'  notice. 

The  carriers,  either  at  Bembe  or  on  the  coast,  are  always 
accompanied  by  a  head-man,  called  a  *'  Capata"  (generally 
from  each  town,  and  bringing  from  ten  to  100  or  more  car- 
riers), who  is  responsible  for  the  loads  and  men.  The  load 
of  the  carriers  used  to  be  two  and  a  half  "  arrobas  "  or  eighty 
pounds  of  malachite,  and  some  few  strong  fellows  used  to 
carry  two  such  loads  on  their  heads  all  the  way  to  Ambriz. 
Their  pay  was  one  piece  of  ten  cotton  handkerchiefs,  and 
300  blue  glass  beads  for  each  journey — the  "  Capata " 
taking  double  pay  and  no  load.  This  was  equal  to  about 
bl,  per  ton  carriage  to  Ambriz.  At  present  the  cost 
would  be  much  more  on  account  of  the  great  decrease  of 
population  from  several  epidemics  of  small-pox,  and  from 
the  very  large  carrying  trade  in  ground-nuts  and  coffee. 

At  the  end  of  the  valley,  where  it  joins  the  narrow  gorge 
that  drains  it,  an  enormous  mass  of  a  very  hard  metamor- 
phic  limestone,  destitute  of  fossil  remains,  rises  from  the 
bottom  to  a  height  of  about  thirty  feet,  and  in  it  are  con- 
tained two  caverns  or  large  chambers.  This  mass  of  rock 
is  imbedded  in  a  dense  forest,  and  is  overgrown  by  trees 
and  enormous  creepers,  the  stems  of  which,  like  great 
twisted  cables,  hang  down  through  the  crevices  and  open- 
ings to  the  ground  below. 

Great  numbei-s  of  bats  inhabit  the  roof  of  the  darkest 
of  these  caverns,  and  some  that  I  once  shot  were  greatly 
infested  with  a  large,  and  very  active,  nearly  white  species 
of  the  curious  spider-looking  parasite  Nyctiribia,  that  lives 
on  this  class  of  animals. 


BOOT  PARASITE,  109 


In  the  thick  damp  shade  of  the  trees  surrounding  this 
mass  of  rock,  we  collected  the  rose-coloured  flowers  of  that 
extremely  curious  root  parasite,  the  Thonningea  sanguinea 
(Dr.  Hooker,  Transactions  of  the  Linnean  Society,  1856). 
— These  specimens  are  now  in  the  Kew  Museum. 

The  Portuguese  built  a  fine  little  fort  at  Bembe,  with  a 
dry  ditcli  round  it,  which  has  stood  one  or  two  sieges; 
but  tlie  Mushicongos  are  a  cowardly  set  without  any  idea 
of  fighting,  so  that  they  were  easily  beaten  off  by  the  small 
garrison. 

At  the  time  of  my  first  arrival  at  Bembe,  there  were 
about  200  men  in  garrison,  who  were  well  shod,  clothed, 
and  cared  for.  They  had  a  band  of  music  of  some  fifteen 
performers,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  got  up  was 
most  amusing.  One  of  the  officers  sent  to  Loanda  for  a 
number  of  musical  instruments,  and  picking  out  a  man  for 
each,  he  was  given  the  option  of  becoming  a  musician,  or 
of  being  locked  up  in  the  calaboose  on  bread  and  water  for 
a  certain  period.  Tliey  all,  of  course,  preferred  the  former 
alternative,  and  there  happening  to  be  a  mulatto  in  the  gar- 
rison who  had  been  a  bandsman,  he  was  elevated  to  the  post 
of  bandmaster,  and  forthwith  ordered  to  teach  the  rest. 

The  performances  of  this  band  may  be  best  left  to  the 
imagination,  but  wonderful  to  relate,  the  governor  (An- 
drade)  used  to  take  pleasure  in  listening  to  the  excru- 
ciating din,  which  would  have  delighted  a  Hottentot,  and 
would  make  them  play  under  his  quarters  several  evenings 
a  week. 

On  the  anniversary  of  the  signing  of  the  *•'  Carta  Con- 
stitucional,"  a  great  day  in  Portugal,  the  same  governor 
invited  us  all  to  a  picnic  at  the  top  of  the  Peak,  where  a 
large  tent  had  been  erected  and  a  capital  breakfast  pro- 
vided: a  three-pounder  gun  had  been  dragged  up  to  fire 
salutes,  and  we  enjoyed  a  very  pleasant  day.  From  the 
summit  a  magnificent  view  of  the  surrounding  country  is 
obtained,  and  on  descending,  we  proceeded  to  visit  the 
town  of  Matuta,  some  little  distance  off.  On  approaching 
the  town,  the  band  struck  up,  accompanied  by  the  big 
drum  beaten  to  the  utmost.     Our  approach  had  not  been 


110  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

pereeiverl,  and  at  the  unaocoimtable  uproar  of  the  band  as 
we  entered  the  town,  a  most  hiiigliable  effect  was  produced 
on  the  inhabitants,  who  fled  in  all  directions  in  the  j^reatest 
dismay,  with  the  children  crying  and  yelling  as  only  small 
negroes  can.  A  iter  onr  sitting  down  and  holding  out  bottles 
of  rum,  and  bunches  of  beads,  they  quickly  becatne  con- 
vinced of  our  peaceable  intentions  and  flocked  round  us, 
and  in  a  little  time,  the  king,  a  short  thin  old  man,  made 
his  appearance,  dressed  in  a  long  red  cloak,  a  large 
cavalry  helmet  on  Ids  head,  and  carrying  a  cutlass  upright 
in  his  hand,  at  arms'  length.  After  the  usual  drinks  and 
compliments,  the  band  played  again,  to  tlie  now  intense 
enjoyment  of  the  inhabitants,  who  capered  and  danced 
and  sliouted  around  like  demons.  So  great  was  the  effect 
and  pleasure  produced  on  them  by  the  band,  that  they 
made  a  subscription  of  beads,  and  presented  it  to  the  per- 
formers. 

From  this  town  we  went  to  another  close  by,  separated 
only  by  a  small  stream,  which  was  governed  by  another 
king,  also  a  very  old  man,  who,  we  found,  was  nearly 
dying  of  age  and  rheumatism.  In  -crossing  the  stream, 
our  king  of  the  red  cloak  and  helmet  presented  a  comical 
appearance,  for  to  save  his  finery  from  wetting,  he  tucked 
it  up  rather  higher  than  was  necessary  or  dignified. 
This  same  king,  having  on  one  occasion  brought  into 
Bembe  a  couple  of  blacks  who  had  robbed  their  loads  in 
coming  up  the  country  from  Ambriz,  got  so  drunk  upon 
the  rum  which  he  received  as  part  of  the  reward  for  cap- 
turing them,  that  his  attendants  stripped  him  of  his  state 
uniform  and  helmet,  and  left  him  by  the  side  of  the  road 
stark  naked,  with  a  boy  sitting  by  his  side  holding  an 
umbrella  over  him  till  his  everyday  clothes  were  sent 
from  his  town,  and  he  was  sufficiently  sober  to  walk  home. 
In  Africa,  as  everywhere  else,  there  is  often  but  a  step 
from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous! 

Mr.  Flores's  agent  at  Bembe  used  to  buy  ivory,  though 
after  a  time  he  had  to  give  up  trading  there,  partly  on 
account  of  having  to  carry  up  the  goods  for  barter  "from 
Ambriz,  and  from  the  natives  wanting  as  much  for  the 


ENGONQUI.  Ill 


tusks  as  tliey  were  in  the  habit  of  getting  on  the  coast ; — 
bhicks  having  no  rpgard  whatever  for  time  or  distance, 
eight  or  ten  days' journey  more  or  less  being  to  tliem  per- 
fectly iinnuxteriaL  The  road  followed  by  the  caravans  of 
ivory  from  the  inteiiur  jiasses,  as  1  have  said  before,  near 
Bembe;  consequently  a  good  many  caravans  lell  the  usual 
track  and  came  there  to  sell  their  ivory,  or  if  they  could 
not  agree  on  the  terms,  passed  on  to  the  coast,  and  it  was 
interesting  to  see  them  arrive,  and  watch  the  process  of 
bartering. 

From  Bembe  we  could  descry  the  long  black  line  of 
negroes  composing  the  **  Quibucas  "  or  caravans,  far  away 
on  the  horizon  across  the  mine  valley,  and  it  was  here 
that  I  became  convinced  of  the  superiority  of  the  negro's 
eyesight  over  the  white  man's.  Our  blacks,  particularly 
old  Pae  Tomas,  could  tell  with  the  naked  eye  the  number 
of  tusks,  and  the  number  of  bags  of  '*fuba"  or  meal,  in  a 
caravan,  and  whether  they  brought  any  pigs  or  sheep  with 
them,  at  such  a  distance  that  not  one  of  us  could  distin- 
guish anything  without  a  glass — in  fact,  when  we  could 
only  see  a  moving  black  line.  Caravans  of  200  and  300 
natives,  bringing  as  many  as  100  large  tusks  of  ivory,  were 
not  unfrequent. 

As  soon  as  they  came  within  hearing  distance,  they 
beat  their  *•  Engongui,"  as  the  signal  bells  are  called,  one 
of  which  accompanies  every  "Quibuca,"  and  is  beaten  to 
denote  their  approach,  the  towns  answexing  them  in  the 
same  manner,  and  intimating  whether  they  can  pass  or  not, 
if  there  is  war  on  the  road,  and  so  on.  These  "  Engongui " 
(Plate  IV.)  are  two  fiat  bells  of  malleable  iron  joined 
toi!:ether  by  a  bent  handle,  and  are  held  in  the  left  hand 
whilst  being  beaten  with  a  short  stick.  There  is  a  regular 
code  of  signals,  and  as  each  bell  has  a  different  note,  a 
great  number  of  variations  can  be  produced  by  striking 
each  alternately,  or  two  or  three  beats  on  one  to  the  same, 
or  lesser  number  on  the  other;  a  curious  effect  is  also 
produced  by  the  performer  striking  the  mouths  of  the 
bells  against  his  naked  stomach  whilst  they  are  reverber- 
ating from  the  blows  with  the  stick. 


112  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

As  the  caravans  were  coming  down  the  valley,  Pao 
Tomas  used  to  amuse  himself  sometimes  by  signalling 
"  war,"  or  that  the  road  was  stopped,  when  the  whole 
caravan  would  squat  down,  whilst  the  **  Capatas,"  or 
head-men  in  charge,  would  come  on  alone,  but  at  the 
signal  *'  all  right,"  or  *'  road  clear,"  all  would  start  forward 
again. 

Only  one  "Engongui"  can  be  allowed  in  each  town,  and 
belongs  to  the  king,  who  cannot  part  with  it  on  any 
account,  as  it  is  considered  a  great  "fetish,"  and  is 
handed  down  from  king  to  king.  To  obtain  the  one  in 
my  possession,  I  had  to  send  Pae  Tomas  to  the  "  Mujolo  " 
country,  where  they  are  principally  made,  but  as  he  was 
away  only  four  days,  I  believe  he  must  have  got  it  nearer 
Bembe  than  the  "Mujolo,"  which  lies  to  the  N.N.E.  of 
Bembe,  but  according  to  all  accounts  at  many  days' 
journey,  which  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  as  these 
*'  Mujolos "  never  come  down  to  the  coast,  and  were 
formerly  very  rarely  brought  as  slaves  in  the  caravans. 
They  are  greatly  prized  as  slaves  by  the  Portuguese,  as 
they  are  very  strong  and  intelligent,  and  work  at  any  trade 
much  better  than  any  other  race  in  Angola.  They  have 
very  peculiar  square  faces,  and  are  immediately  known  by 
their  cheeks  being  tattooed  in  fine  perpendicular  lines, 
in  fact  the  only  race  in  Angola  that  tattoo  the  face  at 
all.  They  are  said  to  be  a  very  savage  race,  and  to 
practise  caimibalism. 

When  the  caravans  approached  Bembe,  the  "  Capatas  " 
would  dress  themselves  in  their  best  and  each  carry  an 
open  umbrella,  or  when  the  "Capata"  was  a  very  im- 
portant personage,  the  umbrella  used  to  be  carried 
before  him  by  a  black,  whilst  he  followed  behind  in  the 
sun. 

The  day  of  their  arrival  was  always  spent  in  looking 
over  the  stock  of  goods,  and  receiving  presents  of  clotii 
and  rum,  and  generally  a  pig  for  a  feast.  The  next  day 
the  tusks  would  be  produced  and  the  barter  arranged  in 
the  manner  explained  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

The  caravans  seldom  brought  any  curiosities,  only  very 


MORTALITY  OF  CATTLE.  113 

rarely  a  few  mats  or  skins ;  one  skin  that  I  purchased 
proved  to  be  that  of  a  new  monkey,  described  by  Dr. 
jP.  L.  S<:later  as  the  Golohus  Angolensis  (*  Proceedings  of 
the  Zoological  Society  of  London,'  May,  1860). 

A  few  slaves  were  sometimes  brought  to  Bembe  from 
the  interior,  and  sold  to  the  Cabinda  blacks,  who  were 
our  washer-boys,  and  also  to  the  Ambriz  men,  our  ser- 
vants, slaves  being  amongst  the  natives  in  Angola  the 
])rincij)al  investment  of  tlieir  savings.  The  prices  paid 
for  them  varied  according  to  size,  sex,  and  age,  and 
freedom  from  blemish  or  disease,  and  ranged  from  one 
to  two  pieces  of  "  chilloes "  (a  Manchester  made  cloth, 
in  pieces  of  fourteen  yards,  and  costing  about  3s.  each) 
for  a  boy  or  girl ;  to  six  or  seven  pieces,  at  most,  for  a 
full-grown  man  or  woman. 

Gum  Elemi,  called  **Mubafo,"  used  to  be  brought  in 
large  cake-j,  and  is  said  to  be  very  abundant  not  many 
days'  journey  from  Bembe,  but  its  low  price  in  Europe 
does  not  allow  of  its  becoming  an  article  of  trade  from 
this  part  of  Africa  at  present. 

There  are  no  cattle  from  the  Eiver  Congo  to  the  latitude 
of  Loanda.  At  Bembe  a  few  oxen  used  to  arrive  from  a 
country  eight  to  ten  days' journey  off,  in  a  S.E.  direction, 
but,  although  carefully  tended,  would  gradually  lose  flesh 
and  die  in  a  few  months.  On  the  coast  they  seem  to 
thrive  very  well  in  the  hands  of  "white  men,  but  yet  the 
natives  never  breed  them,  whether  from  indolence,  or  from 
the  climate  not  being  quite  suitable  to  them,  it  is  difficult 
to  say,  but  most  likely  from  the  former. 

The  Portuguese  expedition  to  occupy  Bembe  took 
mules,  donkeys,  and  camels  from  the  Cape  de  Verde 
Islands,  but  they  all  died,  though  in  charge  of  a  A^eterinary 
surgeon,  who  attributed  their  death  to  the  character  of 
the  grass,  most  of  the  species  having  the  blades  very 
serrated,  and  according  to  him  causing  death  by  injury  to 
the  coats  of  the  stomach. 

In  connection  with  the  mortality  of  cattle  and  other 
animals,  I  may  mention  that  all  the  cats  at  Bembe  had 
their  hind   quarters   more   or   less   paralysed,   generally 

I 


114  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

when  a  few  months  old,  sometimes  even  when  quite  young 
kittens,  when  it  certainly  could  not  be  the  result  of  any 
blow.  This  was  the  case  without  exception  during  the 
two  years  I  was  at  Bembe ;  I  have  seen  the  same  occur  on 
the  coast,  but  more  rarely. 

Sheep  and  ^oats  breed  very  well,  particularly  about 
Ambrlzzette.  The  sheep  are  a  very  peculiar  variety,  long- 
legged,  and  covered  with  short  hair.  The  goats  are  small 
but  especially  beautiful,  and  generally  black  and  white  in 
colour.  Cocks  and  hens  are  small  and  tasteless  and  always 
scarce,  as  the  natives  are  too  indolent  to  rear  any,  only 
keeping  a  few  animals  that  can  find  their  own  living: 
they  never  think  of  giving  any  of  them  any  food  or  water 
unless  they  are  actually  dying,  the  consequence  is  that 
only  sheep  and  goats  and  a  few  fowls  thrive  or  are  seen 
in  their  towns.  I  have  only  seen  a  few  pigeons  in  two  or 
three  towns.  Their  pigs,  as  might  be  imagined,  are  painful 
to  look  upon,  living  on  grass  and  what  few  roots  they  can 
grub  up,  and  on  all  the  excrement  and  filth  of  the  towns ; 
it  is  impossible  to  conceive  anything  more  distressingly 
thin  and  gaunt  than  the  poor  pigs,  perfectly  flat,  and 
hardly  able  to  trot  along. 

On  our  journey  to  Bembe  the  natives  were  greatly 
surprised  at  our  giving  some  boiled  rice  from  our  plates  to 
a  brood  of  pretty  little  chickens  at  a  town  where  webreak- 
fanted,  as  tliey  did  not  belong  to  us.  Their  dogs,  wretched, 
small,  starved,  long-eared  animals,  like  little  jackals,  live 
like  the  pigs,  upon  rubbish,  and  hunt  rats  and  other  small 
game.  I  once  saw  a  dog  eating  the  grains  off  a  green 
Indian  corn  cob,  which  he  was  holding  down  with  his  two 
front  paws,  nibbling  it  as  a  sheep  would,  and  seeming  to 
enjoy  it.  Cats  are  very  rarely  seen  in  the  towns ; — they 
are  greatly  esteemed  by  the  Mushicongos  for  food,  and 
their  skins  for  wearing  as  an  ornament.  I  once  shot  a 
half  wild  cat  that  used  to  visit  my  fowl-yard,  and  had 
eaten  some  chickens ;  my  cook  skinned  it,  and  sold  the 
flesh  for  800  beads,  and  the  skin  for  200 — 300  beads  being 
then  a  fancy  price  for  the  largest  fowl,  ordinary  chickens 
usually  averaging  100  beads  each,  only. 


FAIRS.  115 


Provisions  at  that  time  were  fabulously  clieap,  though 
not  more  so,  perhaps,  than  should  be  expected  from  the 
wonderful  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  little  trouble  the  natives 
have  in  its  cultivation,  and  their  small  necessities.  Egers 
and  bananas  were  sold  at  one  blue  glass  bead  each,  of  a  kind 
made  in  Bohemi^i,  and  costing  wholesale  under  twopence 
for  a  bunch  of  600.  Mandioca-meal,  beans,  &c.,  were  sold 
at  a  similar  rate. 

One  ugly  black  was  the  principal  purveyor  of  eggs ;  he 
used  to  collect  them  at  all  the  towns  and  fairs  around, 
and  bring  them  into  Bembe  for  sale,  but  he  was  a  sad 
rogue,  and  never  sold  a  basketful  of  eggs  but  a  number 
were  sure  to  be  found  rotten.  At  the  fort  he  was  once 
tied  over  a  gun  and  well  thrashed,  but  this  did  not  cure 
him,  and  at  last,  tired  of  buying  bad  eggs  from,  him,  I  had 
him  held  by  a  couple  of  our  servants  the  next  time  he 
brought  me  a  basket  of  eggs  for  sale,  whilst  my  cook  broke 
them  into  a  basin  one  by  one,  the  rotten  ones  being  rubbed 
on  his  great  woolly  head,  en  which  he  had  allowed  the 
hair  to  grow  like  a  great  frizzled  bush.  His  appearance 
when  released  was  most  comical,  and  produced  tlie  greatest 
excitement  among  the  rest  of  the  niggers,  who  danced  and 
yelled  and  hooted  at  him  as  he  ran  along  crying  to  the 
stream  at  the  mines  to  wash  himself.  The  cure  was 
effectual  this  time,  and  we  never  had  further  cause  of 
complaint  against  him. 

There  are  four  weekly  fairs  or  markets  held  near  Bembe, 
the  principal  one  being  at  Sona,  about  six  miles  off.  To 
this  market  natives  from  many  miles  distant  come  with 
produce,  &c.,  to  barter  for  cloth,  rum,  and  beads  from  the 
coast.  To  travel  two  or  three  days  to  attend  a  fair  is 
thought  nothing  of  by  the  blacks, — this  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  when  we  consider  the  climate,  and  that  a  mat  to 
sleep  on  is  the  most  they  need  or  carry  with  them  on  a 
journey.  Their  food  being  almost  entirely  vegetable  and 
uncooked,  they  either  take  it  with  them,  or  buy  it  on 
the  road. 

Another  celebrated  fair  is  at  Quimalenpo,  on  the  road 
to  Bembe,  and  about  thirty  miles  distant,  and  our  servants 

I  2 


IIG  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

and  blacks  working  at  the  mine  were  constantly  asl^ing 
leave  to  go  to  it.  Both  at  Sona  and  the  latter  fair  no 
blacks  are  allowed  with  sticks  or  knives,  a  very  wise  pre- 
caution, considering  the  quantity  of  palm  wine,  garapa, 
and  other  intoxicating  liquors  consumed.  I  have  seen 
not  less  than  2U00  natives  assembled  at  these  fairs, 
selling  and  buying  bean«,  mandioca  roots  and  moiil  of 
different  kinds,  Indian  corn,  ground-nuts,  palm-nuts  and 
oil,  pigs,  sheep,  goats,  fowls,  cotton  cloth,  handkerchiefs, 
&c.,  crockeiy,  clay  pipes,  and  pipe  stems,  but  not  a  single 
article  manufactured  by  themselves,  with  the  exception, 
perhaps,  of  a  few  sleeping  mats,  and  the  conical  open 
baskets  called  *•  Quindas,"  in  which  the  women  carry  roots, 
meal,  and  other  produce,  on  their  heads. 

During  my  first  stay  in  Bembe,  the  King  of  Congo 
having  died,  his  successor,  the  Marquis  of  Catende,  carnp 
in  state  to  Bembe  to  ask  the  Portuguese  to  send  pi-iests 
to  San  Salvador,  to  bury  his  predecessor  and  to  crown  him 
king.  In  former  times,  San  Salvador,  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom  of  Con^o,  was  the  chief  missionary  station  of  the 
Portuguese,  who  built  a  cathedral  and  monasteries  there, 
the  ruins  of  which  still  exist ;  they  appear  to  have  been 
very  successful  in  civilizing  the  natives,  and  thougli  the 
mission  was  abandoned  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago, 
their  memory  is  revered  in  the  country  to  this  day.  I 
have  been  told  by  the  Portuguese  priests  and  officers  who 
have  been  at  San  Salvador  that  the  graves  of  the  former 
missionaries  are  still  carefully  tended  and  preserved,  with 
every  sign  of  respect,  and  that  missals  and  other  books, 
letters,  chalices,  and  other  church  furniture  of  the  olden 
time  still  exist,  and  the  natives  would  not  part  with  them 
on  any  account. 

In  times  past  tho  King  of  Congo  was  very  powerful,  all 
the  country,  as  far  as,  and  including  Loanda,  the  Kiver 
Congo,  and  Cahinda,  was  subject  to  him,  and  paid  him 
tribute.  The  missionaries  under  his  protection  worked  far 
and  wide,  attained  great  riches,  and  were  of  immensD 
benefit  to  the  country,  where  they  and  the  Portuguese 
established  and  fostered   sugar-cane  plantations,   indigo 


J 


TEE  KING  OF  CONGO.  117 

manufacture,  iron  smelting,  and  other  industries.  With, 
the  discovery  and  colonization  of  the  Brazils,  hovvever, 
and  the  expnlsion  of  the  Jesuits  from  Angola,  the 
power  of  the  Portuguese  ,and  of  the  King  of  Congo  has 
dwindled  away  to  its  present  miserable  condition.  The 
King  of  Congo  is  now  only  the  chief  of  San  Salvador  and 
a  few  other  small  towns,  and  does  not  receive  the  least 
tribute  from  any  others,  nor  does  he  possess  any  power  in 
the  land.  Among  the  natives  of  Angola,  however,  he  still 
retains  a  certain  amount  of  prestige  as  King  of  Congo,  and 
all  would  do  homage  to  him  in  his  presence,  as  he  is  con- 
sidered to  possess  the  greatest  *•  fetish  "  of  all  the  kings 
and  tribes,  though  powerless  to  exact  tribute  from  them. 

The  Marquis  came  to  Bembe  attended  by  a  retinue  of 
300  blacks  and  his  private  band,  consisting  of  eight  elephant 
tusks  blown  like  horns,  and  six  drums,  lliese  tusks  were 
moderate  sized,  about  three  to  three  and  a  half  feet  long, 
and  were  bored  down  the  centre  nearly  to  the  point,  to  a 
small  hole,  or  narrow  aperture  cut  in  the  side,  to  which 
the  lips  are  applied  to  produce  the  sound,  which  is  deep 
and  loud,  but  soft  in  tone,  and  can  be  heard  at  a  great 
distance.  The  drums  are  hollowed  out  of  one  piece  of 
wood,  generally  of  the  *'  Mafumeira"  tree,  which  is  very 
soft  and  easily  worked :  the  open  end  is  covered  with  a 
sheepskin  tightly  stretched  and  rubbed  over  with  bees-wax, 
a  small  portion  of  which  is  left  sticking  in  the  middle: — 
before  use,  these  drums  are  slightly  warmed  at  a  fire  to 
soften  the  wax  and  make  the  skin  a  little  sticky,  when 
being  struck  by  the  flat  of  the  fingers  (not  the  pidms  of 
the  hands)  they  adhere  slightly,  and  cause  the  blows  to 
produce  a  more  resonant  sound.  The  better  made  ones 
are  rubbed  quite  smooth  on  the  outside  with  the  dry  leaf 
of  a  certain  tree,  Avhich  is  very  rough,  and  acts  like  sand- 
paper, and  then  dyed  a  bright  red  with  the  fresh  red  pulp 
enveloping  the  seeds  of  the  Annatto  plant  {Bixa  Orellana), 
which  I  have  seen  growing  wild  in  the  interior. 

When  the  Marquis  approached  Bembe  he  made  known 
his  coming  by  his  band  blowing  the  horns  and  thumping 
the  drums,  and  we  could  see  the  caravan  in  the  distance 


118  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

slowly  winding  tlirongh  the  grass.  On  arriving  at  the  edge 
of  the  mine  vnlley  they  all  halted,  and  the  band  ngain  struck 
up.  Tlie  Marquis  got  out  of  highammoclc,  attired  like  any 
other  black,  unlocked  a  small  box  containing  his  wardrobe, 
and  proceeded  to  dress  himself,  in  which  operation  he  was 
assisted  by  his  two  secretaries; — first  he  put  on  a  white 
shirt,  but  not  having  taken  the  precaution  to  unbutton  the 
front,  it  was  some  time  before  his  head  emerged  fi'om  it ; 
a  gaily-coloured  cloth  was  next  produced  from  the  box, 
and  fastened  round  his  waist,  a  blue  velvet  cloak  edged 
^vith  gold  lace  was  put  on  his  shoulders,  and  on  his  head  a 
blue  velvet  cap,  which  completed  his  royal  costume;  his 
feet  bare  of  course. 

They  then  came  into  Bembe,  and  proceeded  to  the  fort 
where  they  were  received  with  a  salute  of  four  guns, 
which  it  was  the  Mai-quis's  riglit  to  receive  from  the  Por- 
tuguese, but  which  being  evidently  unexpected,  made  (me 
half  of  the  crowd  scamper  as  fast  as  they  could,  till  they 
were  recalled.  At  the  gate  the  guard  turned  out  and  pi-e- 
sented  arms,  and,  preceded  by  the  band  of  the  fort,  he  was 
taken  to  the  Governor's  quarters,  where  we  were  all 
assembled  to  meet  him. 

The  usual  complimentary  speeches  then  took  place,  his 
secretary  translating  for  him,  and  the  Governor's  cook 
being  interpreter  on  our  side.  The  Marquis  spoke  only  a 
few  words  of  Portuguese,  and  never  having  been  among 
white  men,  he  was  rather  strange  to  the  use  of  knives  and 
forks,  so  at  dinner  his  meat  was  cut  up  small  for  him, 
wiiich  lie  forked  slowly  into  his  mouth,  now  and  then 
draining  a  whole  tumblerful  of  Lisbon  wine.  The  dinner- 
service  of  crockery  and  glass,  &c.,  seemed  to  strike  him  as 
being  of  marvellous  magnificence. 

After  first  tasting  a  glass  of  beer  myself,  according  to 
the  fashion  of  the  country,  I  offered  it  to  him,  to  see  how 
he  would  like  it ;  he  took  a  mouthful,  but  immediately 
turned  round  and  spat  it  out,  with  a  very  wry  face.  He 
passed  the  remainder  to  his  two  secretaries,  who  were 
squatted  on  the  ground  behind  him,  eating  stewed  fowl 
and  mandioca-meal  out  of  a  dish  with  their  fingers.    As  it 


THE  KING  OF  CONGO.  110 

would  have  been  an  unpardonable  incivib'tj'-  on  their  part 
not  to  drink  whatever  he  gave  them,  they  each  took  a 
mouthful  from  tlie  glass,  though  he  was  making  fares  and 
wiping  his  moutli  with  the  sleeve  of  his  shirt,  but  both  got 
u})  instantly  and  hurried  outside,  where  we  could  hear 
them  spitting  and  sputtering  at  the  bitter  draught. 

On  handing  round  the  '*  palitos "  or  toothpicks  after 
dinner,  he  took  one,  but  did  not  know  what  to  do  witli  it 
till  he  saw  to  what  use  they  were  applied  by  us,  when  he 
burst  out  laughing,  and  said  in  Congo  language,  "that  the 
white  men  were  very  strange  people,  who,  after  putting 
such  delicious  food  into  their  mouths,  must  needs  pick  out 
the  little  bits  from  their  teeth  with  a  stick,"  and  he  asked 
for  a  few,  which  he  gave  to  his  secretaries  to  keep,  to  take 
back  to  his  country  as  curiosities. 

He  is  a  handsome,  stout,  middle-aged  man,  and  with  a 
very  much  better  cast  of  countenance  than  is  usual  among 
the  Mnshicongos. 

During  the  time  that  he  was  at  Bembe,  the  kings  of 
the  neighbouring  towns  came  together  one  morning  to  pay 
him  homage,  and  his  state  reception  was  a  very  amusing 
and  interesting  ceremony. 

The  kings  and  their  people  appeared,  not  in  their  best, 
but  in  the  poorest  and  most  rugged  condition  possible, 
whether  according  to  custom,  or  from  a  fear  that  the  Mar- 
quis might,  in  view  of  their  riches,  demand  tribute  from 
them  as  ibrmerly,  I  know  not.  The  Marquis  was  seated 
on  a  chair  placed  on  a  large  mat,  with  his  bare  feet  on 
a  leopard  skin ; — behind  his  chair  squatted  the  whole  of 
his  retinue. 

The  kings,  with  their  people,  not  less  than  100  blacks, 
on  arriving  at  some  little  distance,  dropped  on  their  knees, 
bowed  their  heads  to  the  ground,  and  then  clapped  their 
hands,  to  which  the  Marquis  replied  by  moving  tlie  fingers 
of  his  right  hand  to  them ;  one  of  his  secretaries,  a  very 
tall,  lanky  negro,  dressed  in  a  quaker  coat  with  a  very 
high,  straight  collar,  then  knelt  before  him,  and  presented 
him  with  the  sword  of  state,  which  the  Marquis  pulled  out 
of  the  scabbard  and  returned  to  him. 


120  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  QONGO. 

The  tall  secretary  now  borrowed  a  red  cloak  from  one 
of  tlie  retinue,  which  he  secured  round  his  waist  with  his 
left  hand,  allowing  it  to  drag  behind  him  like  a  long  red 
tail,  and  commenced  a  series  of  most  extraordinary  antics, 
dancing  about  brandishing  his  sword,  and  pretending  to 
cut  off  heads,  to  exemplify  the  fate  in  store  for  his  majesty's 
enemies. 

Approaching  the  kneeling  embassy,  he  shook  his  sword 
at  tbein  like  a  harlequin  at  a  clown  in  a  pantomime,  when 
they  all  rose  and  followed  him  for  a  few  paces,  and  then 
dropped  on  their  knees  whilst  he  went  through  the  dance 
and  sword  exercise  again;  this  performance  repeated, 
brought  them  nearer  the  Marquis,  and  a  third  time  brought 
the  whole  lot  to  his  feet,  where  they  all  rubbed  their  fore- 
heads and  lingers  in  the  dust,  whilst  the  secretary  knelt 
and  placed  the  sword  across  his  knees ;  then  came  a 
general  clapping  of  hands,  and  the  King  of  Matuta  and 
several  others  made  long  speeches,  to  which  the  Marquis 
replied,  not  to  them  directly,  but  to  his  secretary,  who 
repeated  it,  every  twenty  or  thirty  words  being  interrupted 
by  a  great  blowing  of  the  horns  and  beating  of  the  drums, 
lasting  for  a  couple  of  minutes. 

After  the  speeches  the  kings  presented  their  offering, 
which  consisted  only  of  a  gourd  of  palm  wine,  of  which, 
according  to  custom,  the  Marquis  had  to  drink. 

The  Governor  of  Bembe  had  provided  him  with  a 
couple  of  bottles  of  Lisbon  wine  for  the  ceremony,  and  also 
a  tumbler ;  this  last  was  filled  with  palm  wine  from  the 
gourd,  and  given  to  the  secretary,  and  he  handed  it  to  the 
Marquis,  who  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  it  with  his 
hand,  repeating  at  the  same  time  some  words  in  Latin  : 
this  they  have  learnt  from  the  ceremonies  of  the  mass  in 
the  old  Roman  Catholic  missals  still  in  their  possession. 

The  Marquis,  not  feeling  inclined  to  drink  palm  wine, 
availed  himself  of  the  custom  of  the  kings  of  Congo  not 
eating  or  drinking  in  public,  to  practise  a  little  deception. 
Whilst  two  attendants  held  up  a  large  mat  before  him,  he 
passed  the  tumblerful  of  palm  wine  to  his  secretaries,  who 
quickly  swallowed  its  contents,  and  taking  up  one  of  the 


CUSTOMS,  121 


bottles  of  Lisbon  wine  from  under  his  chair,  put  it  to  his 
month,  and  nearly  emptied  it  at  a  dranght.  The  curtain 
was  then  removed,  and  the  nearly  empty  bottle  of  wine 
parsed  to  the  King  of  Matnta,  who  poured  the  contents 
into  the  tumbler,  took  a  drink  himself,  and  passed  it  to 
the  re.^t,  who  had  a  sip  each  till  it  was  drained  dry. 
Speeches  were  again  made,  and  the  embassy  having  once 
more  lubbed  their  foreheads  and  fingers  in  the  dust,  got 
up  and  bent  nearly  double,  then  turned  and  walked  away 
very  slowly  and  carefully,  reminding  me  most  comically 
of  cats  alter  they  have  been  fighting. 

A  singular  custom  of  the  kings  of  Congo,  is  that  of 
never  expectorating  on  the  ground  in  public,  it  being 
"  fetish  "  to  do  so,  and  foretelling  some  calamity.  When 
the  Marquis  wislied  to  clear  his  throat,  the  lanky  secretary 
would  kiieel  before  him,  and  taking  a  dirty  rag  out  of  a 
grass  pouch  suspended  from  his  shoulder,  would  present 
it  to  him  witli  both  his  hands,  to  spit  into ;  the  rag  was 
then  carefully  doubled  up,  kissed,  and  replaced  in  the 
pouch. 

I  was  told  by  the  padre  at  Bembe,  who  went  on  a 
mission  to  Engoge,  tbat  the  king  there,  the  '*Dembo 
Ambuilla,"  also  has  the  same  custom,  but  performed  in  a 
much  more  disgusting  manner,  as,  instead  of  spitting  into 
a  rag  like  the  King  of  Congo,  the  *'  Dembo  "  expectorates 
into  the  palm  of  an  attendant's  hand,  who  then  rubs  it  on 
his  head ! 

Having  heard  at  Loanda  that  Dr.  Baslian  had  passed 
through  »San  Salvador,  I  inquired  of  the  Marquis  whether 
he  had  seen  him ;  he  replied  that  a  white  man,  whose 
name  he  knew  not,  had  lately  been  through  his  town 
(a  little  distance  from  San  Salvador),  and  had  given  him 
a  "  mucanda "  or  letter,  which  he  would  show  me :  and, 
taking  me  into  his  hut,  he  took  out  of  his  box  a  parcel 
of  rags,  which  he  carefully  undid  till  he  came  to  a  half- 
sheet  of  small  paper,  on  which  was  engraved  the  portrait 
of  some  British  worthy  dresj^ed  in  the  high  collared  coat 
in  fashion  some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago.  As  the  lower 
half  of  the  sheet  was  torn  off*,  there  was  no  inscription  on 


122  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

it  by  which  I  could  identify  the  portrait,  which  spemed  to 
have  been  taken  from  a  small  octavo  volume.  The  Mar- 
quis would  not  show  the  portrait  to  the  Governor  or  any 
Portuguese,  as  he  was  afraid  that  it  might  say  something 
that  would  compromise  him  with  them,  and  on  my  assuring 
him  that  there  was  no  danger  whatever  in  it,  he  seemed 
to  be  much  easier  in  his  mind. 

On  the  Sunday  morning  the  Marquis  attended  the 
garrison's  military  mass,  and  caused  much  amusement  by 
bringing  his  band  with  him,  which  played  during  the  ser- 
vice. Although  he  had  never  before  heard  mass,  his 
conduct,  and  that  of  the  head  men  who  accompanied  him, 
was  most  proper  and  decorous ;  they  knelt,  crossed  them- 
selves, and  seemed  to  pray  as  earnestly  as  if  they  had 
been  brought  up  to  it  all  their  lives. 

A  visit  they  paid  the  works  at  the  mines  greatly 
interested  them,  the  steam  engine  and  saw  mill  specially 
attracting  their  attention ;  but  the  most  incomprehensible 
wonder  to  them  was  an  ordinary  monkey,  or  screw-jack, 
which  was  fixed  under  one  end  of  a  huge  trunk  of  a  tree 
lying  on  the- ground,  and  on  which  as  many  blacks  vvere 
asked  to  sit  as  it  could  carry ; — great  was  their  astonish- 
ment to  see  me  lift  the  whole  tree  and  blacks  by  simply 
turning  the  handle  of  the  monkey.  After  much  clapping 
of  their  hands  to  their  mouths,' the  universal  way  of 
expressing  surprise  by  the  blacks,  the  Marquis  asked, 
through  his  tall  secretary,  how  I  had  performed  the  won- 
derful "  fetish  ?  '*  I  explained  as  well  as  I  could,  that  it 
was  due  to  the  mechanism  inside,  but  I  could  see  they 
did  not  believe  me,  and  I  afterwards  ascertained  that  they 
thought  the  power  was  contained  in  the  handle. 

The  king  only  spoke  a  few  words  of  Portuguese,  but 
the  tall  secretary  not  only  spoke,  but  wrote  it  very  fairly. 
He  assured  me  that  he  had  not  been  taught  by  tiie  white 
men,  but  by  blacks  whose  ancestors  had  acquired  the 
language  from  the  old  missionaries.  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  he  must  have  been  a  native  of  Ambaca,  or 
some  other  province  of  the  interior  of  Angola,  where  a 
great  many  of  the  natives  at  the  present  day  can  read 


SAN  SALVADOB.  123 


and  write  Portuguese,  transmitted  from  father  to  son 
since  the  oklen  time. 

Some  time  after  the  Marquis  left,  the  Portuguese  sent 
a  padre  from  Loanda  to  join  the  one  at  Bembe,  and 
proceed  together  to  San  Salvador,  with  an  escort  in 
charge  of  the  officer  at  Bembe,  an  ignorant  man,  who, 
after  the  old  lung  had  been  buried,  became  frightened 
and  suddenly  decamped  without  allowing  them  to  crown 
the  Marquis  of  Catende.  A  second  expedition  of  100 
soldiers  was  then  sent.  The  priests  were  welcomed  with 
demonstrations  of  the  greatest  joy  by  the  natives,  who 
loaded  them  with  presents ;  but  the  military  were  coldly 
received,  and  not  a  single  present  was  given  to  them  or 
the  officer  in  command,  who,  alarmed  at  their  hostility 
and  vexed  at  the  reception  given  to  the  padres,  again 
retreated  to  Bembe  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  to  screen 
his  Mant  of  success  and  cowardice,  intrigued  with  the 
Governor-General  at  Loanda,  and  the  padres  were  censured 
lor  that  for  which  he  himself  was  alone  to  blame. 

Nearly  200  blacks  presented  themselves  to  the  padre?, 
saying  that  they  were  the  descendants  of  the  slaves  of 
the  former  missionaries,  and  offering  to  rebuild  the  church 
and  monasteries,  if  they  were  only  directed  and  fed. 

Had  the  Portuguese  allowed  the  padres  to  go  to  San 
Salvador  alone,  unaccompanied  by  a  military  force,  which 
gave  an  air  of  conquest  to  the  expedition,  a  great  step 
would  have  been  made  in  the  introduction  of  trade  and 
civilization  in  that  part  of  the  interior,  and  it  would 
have  opened  the  way  to  geographical  discovery.  I  am 
convinced  that  the  invincible  opposition  to  Lieutenant 
Grandy's  passage  into  the  interior  was  due  principally  to 
the  iear  of  the  natives  that  the  Portuguese  might  follow 
in  his  steps,  and  annex  the  country  from  whence  they 
derive  their  ivory. 

The  soil  about  Bembe  is  magnificent,  and  will  produce 
almost  anything.  Sugar-cane  grows  to  a  huge  size,  and 
vegetables  flourish  in  a  remarkable  manner.  During  the 
time  I  was  there  I  had  a  fine  kitchen  garden,  and  not 
only  kept  the  miners  supplied  with  vegetables,  but  almost 


114:  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEll  CONGO. 

every  day  sent  as  much  as  one,  and  sometimes  two,  blacks 
could  carry,  to  the  fort  for  the  soldiers.  Greens  of  all 
kinds  and  cabbages  grow  beautifully,  although  the  latter 
seldom  form  a  hard  head  ;  all  kinds  of  salad  grow  equally 
well,  such  as  endive,  lettuce,  radishes,  mustard  and  cress, 
&c. ;  peas,  turnips,  carrots,  mint  and  parsley,  also  flourish, 
and  tomatoes  larger  tlian  I  ever  saw  them,  even  iu 
Spain  and  Portugal.  Cucumbers,  melons,  and  vegetable 
marrows,  we  obtained  very  fine  the  first  season,  but  the 
succeeding  year  a  swarm  of  very  small  grasshoppers 
prevented  us  from  getting  a  sin^ile  one.  Broad  beans, 
although  growing  and  flowering  luxuriantly,  never  pro- 
duced pods.  I  gave  seeds  to  the  old  King  of  Matuta,  and 
promised  to  buy  their  produce  from  him,  and  we  very 
quickly  had  a  load  of  beautiful  vegetables  every  day. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  estimate  tlie  advantage,  in  a 
country  and  climate  like  Africa,  of  an  abundant  supply 
of  fresh  salad  and  vegetables,  and  yet,  although  growing 
so  luxuriantly,  and  with  so  small  an  amount  of  trouble, 
they  are  never  cultivated  by  the  natives  of  any  part  of 
Angola,  and  rarely  by  the  Portuguese ;  the  market  at 
Loanda,  for  instance,  is  very  badly  supplied  with  vegetables. 

Benguella  and  Mossamedes — particularly  the  latter — 
are  the  only  exceptions  to  tlie  general  and  stupid  want 
of  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  vegetables.  The  only 
vegetable  introduced  by  the  former  missionaries  that  still 
exists  in  cultivation  in  the  country  is  the  cabbage,  which 
is  sometimes  seen  in  the  towns  (generally  as  a  single 
plant  only),  growing  with  a  thick  stem  which  is  kept 
closely  cro})ped  of  leaves,  and  as  much  as  four  or  five  feet 
high,  surrounded  by  a  fence  to  keep  the  goats  and  sheep 
from  browsing  on  it;  but  I  have  never  seen  it  in  their 
plantations. 

About  Bembe  a  handsome  creeper  (Mucuna  jpruriens), 
with  leaves  like  those  of  a  scarlet-runner,  and  bearing 
large,  long  bunches  of  dark  maroon  bean-like  flowers, 
grows  very  abundantly.  The  flowers  are  succeeded  by 
crooked  pods  covered  with  fine  hairs  (cow  itch)  which 
cause  the  most  horrible  itchins:  when  rubbed  en  the  skin. 


FEVERS.  125 


The  first  time  I  pulled  off  a  bunch  of  the  pods  I  shook 
some  of  the  hairs  over  my  hand  and  face,  and  the  sensa- 
tion was  alarming,  like  being  suddenly  stung  all  over 
with  a  nettle.  I  have  seen  blacks,  when  clearing  bush  for 
plantations,  shake  these  hairs  on  their  hot,  naked  bodies, 
and  jump  about  like  mad,  until  they  were  rubbed  with 
handfuls  of  moist  earth. 

I  saw  at  Bembe  a  striking  illustration  of  the  immunity 
of  Europeans  from  fever  and  ague  when  travelling  or 
otherwise  actively  employed. 

One  hundred  Portuguese  soldiers  having  misconducted 
themselves  in  some  way  at  Loanda,  were  ordered  to  Bembe 
as  a  punislirapnt.  They  marched  Irom  Ambriz  in  the  worst 
part  of  the  rainy  season  without  tents  (which,  singular 
to  say,  are  never  used  in  Angola  by  the  Portuguese 
troops),  and  were  a  fortnight  in  reaching  Bembe. 

They  were  not  a  bad-looking  set  of  men,  and  were  well 
shod  and  clothed,  but  had  been  badly  fed  on  the  road, 
principally  on  beans  and  mandioca-meal,  and  had  had 
only  water  from  the  swollen  pools  and  rivers  to  drink. 
Notwithstanding  the  exposure  and  hardships,  only  twelve 
fell  ill  on  the  march,  and  of  those,  only  four  or  five  had 
to  be  brought  into  Bembe  in  hammocks. 

Fine  barracks  at  the  fort  had  been  prepared  for  them, 
but  next  morning,  on  inspection  by  the  doctor,  no  less 
than  forty  were  ordered  into  hospital;  next  day  thirty 
more  followed,  and  within  a  week  of  their  arrival  every 
one  of  the  100  men  had  passed  through  the  doctor's 
hands,  suffering  principally  from  attacks  of  intermittent 
fever  and  ague,  remittent  fever,  and  a  few  cases  of  diarr- 
hoea ;  but,  to  show  the  comparatively  healthy  climate  of 
Angola,  only  one  man  died. 

We  were  not  so  fortunate  with  our  Cornish  miners,  all 
fine,  strong,  healthy,  picked  men ;  several  causes  contri- 
buted to  their  ill-health  and  deaths;  exposure  to  sun  and 
wet  whilst  at  work,  bad  lodging,  but  principally  great 
want  of  care  on  their  part  in  eating  and  drinking  whilst 
recovering  from  an  attack  of  illness. 

One  circumstance  that  struck  the  doctor  greatly,  was 


IL'G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO, 

the  total  want  of  pluck  in  the  Cornishmen  when  ill ;  tliey 
used  actually  to  cry  like  children,  and  lie  down  on  their 
beds  when  suffering  from  only  a  slight  attack  of  fever  that 
a  Portuguese  would  think  nothing  of.  When  they  were 
seriously  ill,  it  was  with  the  greatest  difhculty  we  could 
make  them  keep  up  their  spirits,  which  is  so  essential  to 
recovery,  in  fevers  particularly.  When  convalescent,  on 
the  contrary,  they  could  not  be  kept  from  eating  or  drink- 
ing everything,  however  indigestible  or  objectionable,  that 
came  in  their  way ;  and  often  was  our  good  doctor  vexed, 
and  obliged  to  employ  the  few  words  of  abuse  he  knew  in 
English,  on  finding  them,  after  a  serious  illness,  eating 
unripe  bananas,  or  a  great  plateful  of  biscuit  and  cheese 
and  raw  onions. 

So  constant  were  their  relapses,  from  want  of  the  com- 
monest care  on  their  part,  that  the  doctor  at  last  refused 
to  attend  them  unless  they  were  placed  under  lock  and 
key  till  fit  to  be  let  out  and  feed  themselves.  Their 
complaints  and  grumblings,  when  well  even,  were  incessant, 
and  they  were  the  most  unhandy  set  imaginable ;  they 
could  not  even  mend  a  broken  bedstead,  or  put  up  a  hook 
or  shelf  to  keep  their  things  from  the  wet  or  rats.  There 
was  but  one  exception,  a  boiler-maker,  named  Thomas 
Webster,  who  was  a  universal  favourite  from  his  constant 
good  humour  and  willingness.  Poor  fellow  !  after  recover- 
ing from  a  very  severe  attack  of  bilious  fever,  he  died  at 
Ambriz,  whilst  waiting  for  the  steamer  that  was  to  take 
him  home. 

The  worthy  Portuguese  officer  in  command  at  Bembe 
on  my  last  visit.  Lieutenant  Vital  de  Bettencourt  Vas- 
conceilos  Canto  do  Corte  Keal,  had  prepared  for  our  use 
the  old  house  in  which  I  had  formerly  lived,  and  received 
us  most  hospitably.  AVe  breakfasted  and  dined  with  him 
for  the  eight  days  of  our  stay,  and  with  Lieutenant  Grandy 
and  his  brother,  who  were  also  his  guests.  We  were  all 
the  more  thankful  for  Lieutenant  Vital's  very  kind  recep- 
tion, from  our  cook  having  fallen  ill  the  day  before  we 
arrived,  and  being  consequently  unable  to  prepare  our  food. 

We  made  several  excursions  to  the  mines  and  to  the 


|illliiliiiiiii,niiniiiHiiiiWiiihiinii::|ii!i:ii.;:i4iii^ 


RETURN  TO  AMBRIZ.  127 


caves,  and  one  morning  my  wife  and  myself  ascended  to 
the  top  of  the  peak  or  mountain  (Plate  IX.),  and  break- 
fasted there. 

On  the  15th  April,  1873,  we  bade  good-bye  to  Bembe^ 
and  to  the  brothers  Grandy  and  Lieutenant  Vital,  who 
accompanied  us  to  the  Kiver  Luqueia.  On  the  third  day 
we  arrived  at  Quiballa,  where  we  remained  four  days, 
employing  them,  as  before,  in  collecting  butterflies  and 
drying  some  fine  plants,  amongst  others  the  beautiful  large 
red  flowers  almost  covering  a  fine  tree  {Sjpathodea  campa- 
nulata — K.  de  B.  ?). 

The  second  afternoon  we  were  visited  by  a  terrific 
thunderstorm  ;  one  vivid  flash  of  lightning  was  followed 
almost  instantaneously  by  a  deafening  clap  of  thunder; 
the  former  must  have  struck  the  ground  very  near  our 
hut,  as  both  my  wife  and  myself  felt  a  slight  shock  pass 
through  our  ankles  quite  distinctly,  and  on  asking  the 
owner  of  the  hut  and  one  of  our  blacks  who  were  with 
us,  if  they  had  felt  anything,  they  both  described  having 
felt  the  same  sensation. 

So  much  rain  fell  during  this  storm  that  we  were  forced 
to  remain  a  couple  of  days  longer,  as  some  carriers  had 
been  obliged  to  return  to  Quiballa,  unable  to  pass  the 
rivers.  It  was  now  nearly  the  end  of  the  rainy  season, 
when  the  heaviest  falls  occur,  and  we  had  already,  after 
leaving  Bembe,  found  that  a  lovely  bank  on  the  Eiver 
Lifua,  on  our  journey  up  the  country,  had  been  swept  away 
"by  a  flood,  and  a  high  pile  of  sand  covered  the  beautiful 
carpet  of  flowers  and  ferns. 

A  small  dog  that  we  had  taken  a  fancy  to  on  board  the 
steamer  in  which  we  went  out,  and  who  had  been  our 
constant  companion,  also  accompanied  us  on  this  journey, 
and  it  was  amusing  to  see  her  attempts  to  swim  the  swift 
currents,  where  she  generally  had  to  be  carried  across.  The 
faithful  creature  seemed  to  know  that  there  was  danger  in 
crossing  the  swollen  streams,  and  she  would  yelp  and  cry 
on  the  bank  till  my  wife  and  myself  had  been  carried  over, 
when  she  would  express  her  delight  by  tearing  along  the 
banks  and  paths  like  mad. 


128  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

Her  solicitude  for  our  safety  was  sometimes  rather 
embarrassing,  as  whenever  she  had  passed  a  swamp,  in 
which  her  legs  generally  sank  deep  into  the  black  mud, 
she  would  always  insist  on  jumping  up  on  the  hammocks, 
evidently  to  ascertain  that  we  were  all  right,  and  of  course 
quite  unmindful  of  the  dreadful  mess  she  made  with  her 
wet  paws. 

Like  all  European  dogs,  she  never  got  over  a  certain, 
antipathy  to  the  black  race,  and  although  on  the  best 
terms  with  our  own  boys,  who  delighted  in  petting  her, 
she  always  showed  her  contempt  for  the  natives  by  making 
sudden  rushes  at  them,  from  under  her  mistress's  ham- 
mock, when  in  passing  through  a  town  the  women  and 
children  came  running  along  cheering  and  shouting,  to  see 
the  "  white  woman."  Though  she  never  bit  them,  her 
sudden  and  fierce-looking  attack  would  generally  scatter 
the  crowd,  who,  however,  always  took  it  in  good  part.  At 
night  we  always  put  her  under  the  Madeira  chair,  which 
made  a  very  good  kind  of  cage,  and  which  we  placed  at 
the  foot  of  our  bed  under  the  mosquito  curtain,  thus 
saving  her  from  these  pests,  and  also  preventing  her  from 
rushing  out  at  any  noise  outside  the  tent. 

The  evening  before  we  reached  Quingombe,  we  raced 
the  blackest  thunderstorm  I  have  ever  witnessed.  About 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  very  fierce,  hot  and 
sultry  day,  the  wind  began  to  lull  and  distant  thunder  was 
heard  behind  us.  The  sky  indicated  plainly  that  no  ordi- 
nary storm  was  gathering,  the  clouds  deepening  in  colour 
till  at  last  they  seemed  to  descend  and  touch  the  gi  ound, 
forming  a  nearly  black  curtain,  which  as  it  slowly  advanced 
hid  hills,  trees,  and  everything  behind  it ;  the  top  part  of 
this  thick  black  curtain  seemed  to  travel"  at  a  faster  rate 
than  the  rest  below,  and  slowly  formed  a  black  arch  over- 
head ;  at  about  five  o'clock  it  seemed  to  be  only  a  few 
hundred  yards  behind  us,  like  a  solid  angry  night  trying  to 
overtake  us.  Sudden  flashes  and  long  streaks  of  liglitning 
seemed  to  shoot  out  of  it,  up  and  down  and  in  all  direc- 
tions, with  scarcely  any  intermission  of  the  explosions  of 
thunder  that  accompanied  them. 


RETUliN  TO  AMDLIZ.  129 

Our  carriers  seemed  perfectly  frightened,  and  ran  us 
along  in  our  hammocks  as  if  racing  for  life,  till,  a  little 
before  sunset,  we  reached  ti  small  village  near  the  road, 
just  as  the  advancing  raindrops  at  last  overtook  and  began 
pattering  down  upon  us.  We  hurried  with  our  baggage 
into  a  Imt,  bat  tiie  wind  suddenly  seemed  to  increase  in 
power  from  the  south,  and  blew  the  storm  away  from  its 
path  to  the  westvvard,  so  that  it  only  rained  for  about  half 
an  hour,  and  we  had  just  time  to  set  up  our  tent  before 
the  darkness  of  night,  calm  and  cool,  came  on.  Some  of 
our  carriers,  who  had  remained  behind  and  not  been  able 
to  keep  ahead  of  the  storm,  described  the  rain  as  coming- 
down  on  them  like  a  perfect  deluge. 

Next  day  we  arrived  late  in  the  afternoon  at  Quin- 
gombe,  and  our  carriers  tried  to  dissuade  us  from 
proceeding  on  to  Ambriz,  alleging  that  the  heavy  rains 
Jiad  filled  the  marshes,  so  that  they  were  impassable  in  the 
dark ;  but  disbelieving  them,  I  hurried  them  on,  and 
reached  the  swamp  that  separates  the  town  of  Quingombe 
from  the  ferry  on  the  Eiver  Loge  at  Quincollo ; — sure 
enough  it  was  one  sheet  of  water,  but  unwilling  to  brave 
another  night  of  mosquitoes  we  pushed  on.  Twice  we  had 
to  get  out  of  our  hammocks  (which  were  slung  as  high  as 
they  could  possibly  be)  on  to  the  Madeira  chair,  to  be 
carried  across  deep  places  ;  and  for  about  two  miles  there 
was  hardly  a  dry  j^laee,  our  poor  dog  swimming  and  carried 
most  of  the  time. 

At  last,  at  seven  in  the  evening,  we  arrived  at 
Quincollo  to  find  that  the  river  had  overflowed  the 
banks,  and  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  house  and  cane 
mill,  there  was  not  a  footjof  dry  ground  to  encamp  upon, 
except  a  great  heap  of  cane  refuse  from  the  mill.  This 
and  the  house  belonged  to  a  convict,  who  had  been  a 
swineherd  in  Portugal,  but  in  consequence  of  the  abolition 
of  capital  punishment  iu  that  country,  had  escaped  hang- 
ing, after  committing  a  cruel  murder.  He  is  now  a  large 
slaveholder,  agent  to  the  line  of  steamers  from  Lisbon 
owned  by  an  English  firm  at  Hull,  and  much  protected  by 
the  Portuguese  authorities  at  Loanda ! 

K 


130  ANGOLA  AND  THE  ItlVEB  CONGO. 

Not  caring  to  sleep  on  his  premises,  we  encamped  on 
the  heap  of  refuse,  on  which  we  found  it  impossible  to 
put  up  our  tent,  contenting  ^ourselves  with  hangin^^  up 
tlie  mosquito-bar  alone.  We  had  reached  our  last  biscuit 
and  tin  of  preserved  provision,  and  had  just  finished 
our  tea  and  supper  when  the  white  man  in  charge  of  the 
convict's  premises,  with  his  servants,  came  out  with  torches 
and  armed,  to  find  out  who  we  were,  fearing  it  might  be 
an  attack  of  the  natives  of  Quingombe.  He  was  most 
kind  and  pressing  in  his  oifers  of  shelter,  in  the  absence 
of  the  owner,  but  we  declined.  He  made  us  promise, 
however,  that  we  would  accept  a  canoe  of  his  in  tlie 
morning,  wliich  took  us  down  the  river  about  six  miles  to 
the  bar,  from  whence  we  rode  in  our  hammocks  along  the 
beach  to  Ambriz,  thus  happily  ending  our  last  excursion 
in  Africa. 

We  had  been  absent  just  one  month,  in  the  worst  part 
of  the  rainy  season,  without  the  slightest  illness,  and 
returned  laden  with  a  Very  interesting  collection  of  insects 
and  plants. 


(    131    > 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  NEGRO  —  FETISH  —  CUSTOMS  — 
ARMS  AND  WAR  —  DRESS  —  ZOMBO  TRIBE  —  BURIAL  — 
INSANITY. 

The  language,  customs,  and  habits  of  the  Mussurongo, 
Auibriz,  and  Mushicongo  tribes  are  very  simihir,  and  are 
distinguished  in  many  particulars  from  those  of  the  natives 
of  the  district  of  Loanda,  who  speak  the  Bunda  language. 
This  is  not  astonishing,  vihen  we  consider  that  Loanda 
has  been  constantly  occupied  by  the  white  race  since  its 
discovery,  and  that  this  intercourse  has  necessarily  mo- 
dified their  character  to  a  certain  extent.  The  former 
tribes  are,  however,  still  almost  in  their  primitive  or 
natural  condition,  and  should  be  studied  or  described 
apart  and  before  continuing  the  description  of  the  country 
south  of  about  8°,  their  limit  in  latitude. 

I  believe  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  understand  correctly 
the  character  of  the  negro  race  in  Africa,  and  that  it  re- 
quires long  intercourse  with,  and  living  amongst  them,  to 
get  behind  the  scenes,  as  it  were,  and  learn  their  manner 
of  thought  or  reasoning,  and  in  what  way  it  influences 
their  lite  and  actions. 

Ill  the  first  instance,  it  is  not  easy  to  dispossess  oneself 
of  the  prejudices  both  against  and  in  favour  of  the  negro. 
It  is  so  natural  to  judge  him  by  our  own  standard,  and 
as  we  should  wish  him  to  be ; — so  easy  to  think  of  him 
as  agreeing  with  the  preconceived  idea  that  he  is  just 
like  one  ot  ourselves,  but  simply  in  a  state  of  innocent 
darkness,  and  that  we  have  only  to  show  him  the  way  for 
him  to  become  civilized  at  once. 

It  is  very  disagreeable  to  fuid  in  the  negro  an  entirely 

K  2 


132  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

new  and  different  state  of  things  to  that  we  had  fondly 
imagined,  and  to  have  to  throw  overboard  our  cherished 
theories  and  confess  our  ignorance  and  that  we  liave  been 
entirely  mistaken ;  but  he  truth  must  be  told,  and  we 
shall  have  to  run  counter  to  the  self-satisfied  wisdom  of 
the  great  number  of  people  who  judge  from  not  always 
wilfully  false  reports,  but  from  hasty  or  superficial  descrip- 
tions or  tales  that  agree  with  their  foregone  conclusions, 
and  whose  benevolent  feelings  and  sympathy  for  the 
negro  are  therefore  established  upon  baseless  grounds. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  deprecate  any  efforts  for  the 
benefit  of  the  negro  race,  but  simply  to  show  that  the 
good  seed  in  Africa  ivill  fall  on  bare  and  barren  ground, 
and  -svhere  weeds  loill  rise  and  choke  it ;  and  I  must  warn 
philanthropy  that  its  bounty  is  less  productive  of  good 
results  on  the  negro  of  tropical  Africa  than_  perhaps  on 
any  other  race. 

It  is  heartrending  to  see  money,  lives,  and  efforts  squan- 
dered and  wasted  under  the  misguided  idea  of  raising  the 
negro  to  a  position  wliich,  from  his  mental  constitution,  he 
cannot  possibly  attain,  whilst  so  many  of  our  own  race  are 
doomed  from  innocent  infancy  to  grow  up  among  us  to  a 
future  of  misery  and  vice,  and  when  we  know  that  the 
charity  so  lavishly  shown  to  the  negro  and  almost  com- 
pletely wasted  would  enable  many  of  these  poor  children 
to  become  good  and  useful  members  of  society.  Let  us,  by 
all  means,  bring  in  the  frozen  vipers,  and  feed  the  famished 
wolves  and  the  hungry  vultures,  but  do  not  let  us  expect 
that  because  we  have  done  so  they  will  change  into  harm- 
less snakes,  noble  dogs,  or  innocent  doves,  or  neglect  to 
succour  the  lambs  and  sheep  of  our  own  flock. 

I  cannot  help  thinking  that  so  long  as  (in  a  rich  country 
like  England)  we  read  of  poor  creatures  perishing  from 
starvation  on  doorsteps  and  in  garrets,  more  care  should 
be  taken  of  our  starving  poor  at  home  and  less  charity 
showered  upon  the  negro,  who  has  growing  close  to  his  hut 
all  lie  wants  to  sustain  life  in  almost  absolute  laziness. 

The  character  of  the  negro  is  principally  distinguished 
not  so  much  by  the  presence  of  positively  bad,  as  by  the 


CHARACTER  OF  TEE  NEGRO.  133 


absence  of  good  qualities,  and  of  feelings  and  emotions 
tliat  we  can  hardly  understand  or  realize  to  be  wanting  in 
human  nature.  It  is  hardly  correct  to  describe  the  negro 
intellect  as  debased  and  sunken,  but  rather  as  belonging 
to  an  arrested  stage.  There  is  nothing  inconsistent  in 
this  ;  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  perfectly  consistent  with  what 
we  have  seen  to  be  their  physical  nature.  It  would  be 
very  singular  indeed  if  a  peculiar  adaptation  for  resisting 
so  perfectly  the  malignant  influences  of  the  climate  of 
tropical  Africa,  the  I'esult  of  an  inferior  physical  organiza- 
tion, was  unaccompanied  by  a  corresponding  inferiority  of 
mental  constitution.  It  is  only  on  the  theory  of  "Natural 
Selection,  or  the  survival  of  the  fittest  "  to  resist  the 
baneful  influence  of  the  climate  through  succes.sive  and 
thousands  of  generations — the  "  fittest  '*  being  those  of 
greatest  physical  insensibility — that  the  present  fever- 
resisting,  miasma-proof  negro  has  been  produced,  and 
his  character  can  only  be  explained  in  the  corresponding 
and  accompanying  retardation  or  arrest  of  development 
of  his  intellect. 

The  negro  knows  not  love,  affection,  or  jealousy.  Male 
animals  and  birds  are  tender  and  loving  to  their  females  ; 
cats  show  their  affection  by  delicious  purring  noises  and  by 
licking ;  horses  by  neighing  and  pawing ;  cocks  by  calling 
their  hens  to  any  food  they  may  find ;  parroquets,  pigeons, 
and  other  birds,  by  scratching  one  another's  polls  and  billing 
and  cooing ;  monkeys  by  nestling  together  and  hunting  for 
inconvenient  parasites  on  each  other's  bodies ;  but  in  all 
the  long  years  I  have  been  in  Africa  I  have  never  seen  a 
negro  manifest  the  least  tenderness  for  or  to  a  negress. 
I  have  never  seen  a  negro,  even  when  inebriated,  kiss  a 
girl  or  ever  attempt  to  take  the  least  liberty,  or  show  by 
any  look  or  action  the  desire  to  do  so.  I  have  never 
seen  a  negro  put  his  arm  round  a  woman's  waist,  or  give 
or  receive  any  caress  whatever  that  would  indicate  the 
slightest  loving  regard  or  affection  on  either  side.  They 
have  no  words  or  expressions  in  their  language  indi- 
cative of  aflection  or  love.  Their  passion  is  purely  of 
an  animal  description,  unaccompanied  by  the  least  sym- 


134  ANGOLA  ANB  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

pathetic  affections  of  love  or  endearment.  It  is  not 
astonishing:,  therefore,  that  jealousy  should  hardly  exist ; 
the  greatest  breach  of  conduct  on  the  part  of  a  married 
woman  is  but  little  thoug:ht  of.  The  husband,  by  their 
laws,  can  at  most  return  his  wife  to  her  father,  who  has 
to  refund  the  [)resent  he  received  on  her  marriage ;  but 
this  extreme  penalty  is  seldom  resorted  to,  fining  the 
paramour  being  considered  a  sufficient  satisfaction.  The 
fine  is  generally  a  pig,  and  rum  or  other  drink,  with 
which  a  feast  is  celebrated  by  all  parties.  The  woman  is 
not  punished  in  any  way,  Eor  does  any  disgrace  attach  to 
her  conduct.  Adultery  on  the  part  of  the  husband  is  not 
considered  an  offence  at  all,  and  is  not  even  resented  by 
the  wives. 

It  might  be  imagined  that  this  lax  state  of  things 
would  lead  to  much  immorality :  but  such  is  not  the 
case,  as  from  their  utter  want  of  love  and  appreciation 
of  female  beauty  or  charms,  they  are  quite  satisfied  and 
content  with  any  woman  possessing  even  the  greatest 
amount  of  the  hideous  ugliness  with  which  nature  has  so 
bountifully  provided  them.  Even  for  their  offspring  they 
have  but  little  love  beyond  that  which  is  implanted  in  all 
animals  for  their  young.  Mothers  are  very  rarely  indeed 
seen  playing  with  or  fondling  their  babies :  as  for  kissing 
them,  or  children  their  mothers,  such  a  thing  is  not  even 
thought  of.  At  the  same  time  I  have  never  seen  a  woman 
grossly  neglect  or  abandon  her  child,  though  they  think 
nothing  of  laying  them  down  to  sleep  anywhere  in  the 
sun,  where  they  soon  become  covered  with  flies;  but  as 
this  does  not  appear  to  hurt  or  inconvenience  them  in  the 
least,  it  can  "hardly  be  termed  neglect. 

The  negro  is  not  cruelly  inclined  ;  that  is  to  say,  he  will 
not  inflict  pain  'for  any  pleasure  it  may  cause  him,  or  for 
revenge,  but  at  the  same  time  he  has  not  the  slightest  idea 
of  mercy,  pity,  or  compassion  for  suffering.  A  fellow- 
creature,  or  animal,  writhing  in  pain  or  torture,  is  to  him 
a  sight  highly  provocative  of  merriment  and  enjoyment. 
I  have  seen  a  number  of  blacks  at  Loanda,  men,  women, 
and  children,  stand  round,  roaring  with  laughter  at  seeing 


CEABACTER  OF  THE  NEGRO.  135 

a  poor  mongrel  dog  that  had  been  run  over  by  a  cart, 
twist  and  roll  about  in  agony  on  the  ground,  where  it  was 
yelping  piteously,  till  a  wiiite  man  put  it  out  of  its  misojy. 
An  animal  that  does  not  belong  to  them,  might  die  a 
thousand  times  of  hunger  and  thirst  before  they  would 
think  of  stirring  a  foot  to  give  it  either  food  or  drink,  nnd 
I  have  already  described  how  even  their  own  animals 
are  left  to  i'are  and  shift  as  best  they  can  on  their  own 
resources,  and  their  surprise  that  my  wife  should  feed  some 
little  chickens  that  did  not  belong  to  her,  at  a  town  on  the 
road  to  Bembe. 

Tn  the  houses  it  is  necessary  to  see  for  oneself  that 
all  the  animals  are  regularly  fed  and  watered  every  day, 
or  they  would  quickly  die  of  neglect.  We  cannot,  there- 
fore, be  surprised  to  find  the  negro  so  completely  devoid 
of  vindictive  feelings  as  he  is.  He  may  be  thrashed 
to  within  an  inch  of  his  life,  and  not  only  recover  in  a 
marvellously  short  space  of  time,  but  bear  no  malice  what- 
ever, either  at  the  time  or  afterwards.  In  Angola,  the 
attempt  to  take  a  white  man's  life  by  his  slaves,  ior  ill- 
tieatment  or  cruelty  to  them,  is  extremely' rare.  If  any 
amount  of  bad  treatment  is  not  resented,  no  benefit  or 
good,  however  great,  done  to  a  negro,  is  appreciated  or 
recognised  by  him :  such  a  thing  as  gratitude  is  quite 
unknown  to  him  ;  he  will  express  the  greatest  deligiit  at 
receiving  a  present  or  any  benefit,  but  it  is  not  from 
thankfulness ;  he  only  exhibits  the  pleasure  he  feels  at 
having  obtained  it  without  an  effort  on  his  part.  He  can- 
not be  called  ungrateful  exactly,  because  tliat  would 
imply  a  certain  amount  of  appreciation  for  favours  conferred, 
which  he  does  not  feel.  In.  the  same  way  his  constant 
want  of  truth,  and  his  invariable  dishonesty  are  the  result, 
not  so  much  of  a  vicious  disposition,  as  of  the  impossibility 
to  understand  that  there  is  anything  wrong  in  being  either 
a  liar  or  a  thief:  that  they  are  not  vicious  thieves  is  shown 
by  the  iew  concerted  robberies  practised  by  them,  and  the 
comparative  safety  of  property  in  general ;  their  thieving, 
as  a  rule,  is  more  of  a  petty  and  pilfering  description,  in 
which,  as  might  be  expected,  they  are  very  cunning  indeed. 


136  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 


To  sum  up  the  negro  character,  it  is  deficient  in  the  pas- 
sions, and  in  their  corresponding  virtues,  and  the  life  of 
the  negro  in  his  primitive  condition,  apparently  so  peace- 
ful and  innocent,  is  not  that  of  an  unsophisticated  state  of 
existence,  but  is  due  to  what  may  be  described  as  an  or- 
ganically rudimentary  form  of  mind,  and  consequently 
capable  of  but  little  development  to  a  higher  type ;  mere 
peaceable,  vegetarian,  prolific  human  rabbits  and  guinea 
pigs,  in  fact ;  they  may  be  tamed  and  taught  to  read  and 
write,  sing  psalms,  and  other  tricks,  but  negroes  they  must 
remain  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  The  negro  has  no  idea 
of  a  Creator  or  of  a  future  existence,  neither  does  he  adore 
the  sun  nor  any  other  object,  idol,  or  image.  His  whole 
belief  is  in  evil  spirits,  and  in  charms  or  "fetishes  :"  these 
**  fetishes  "  can  be  employed  for  evil  as  well  as  to  counter- 
act, the  bad  effect  of  other  malign  "fetishes"  or  spirits. 
Even  the  natives  of  Portuguese  Angola,  who  have  received 
the  idea  of  God  or  Creator  from  the  white  men,  will  not 
allow  that  the  same  Power  rules  over  both  races,  but  that 
the  God  of  the  white  man  is  another,  and  different  from 
the  God  of  the  black  man ;  as  one  old  negro  that  I  was 
once  arguing  with  expressed  it,  "  Your  God  taught  you  to 
make  gunpowder  and  guns,  but  ours  never  did,"  and  it  is 
perfectly  established  in  their  minds  that  in  consequence 
of  our  belonging  to  another  and  more  powerful  God,  their 
"fetishes"  are  unavailing  either  for  good  or  evil,  to  the 
white  man;  our  ridiculing  their  belief  in  "fetish"  only 
serves  to  make  them  believe  the  more  in  it. 

In  almost  every  large  town  there  is  a  "  fetish  house '* 
under  the  care  of  a  "fetish  man."  This  house  is  generally 
in  the  form  of  a  diminutive  square  hut,  with  mud  walls, 
painted  white,  and  these  covered  with  figures  of  men  and 
beasts  in  red  and  black  colours.  The  spirit  is  supposed 
to  reside  in  this  habitation,  and  is  believed  to  watch 
over  the  safety  of  the  town :  the  hut  also  contains  the 
Btock  in  trade  of  the  "  fetish  man."  These  '*  fetish 
men  "  are  consulted  in  all  cases  of  sickness  or  death,  as 
also  to  work  charms  in  favour  of,  and  against  every 
imaginable   thing;    for    luck,    healthy    rain,   good  crops, 


FETISH.  137 


fecundity ;  against  all  illness,  storms,  fire,  surf,  and  mis- 
fortunes and  calamities  of  every  kind.  No  death  is  at- 
tribiithid  to  natural  causes,  it  is  always  ascribed  to  the 
person  or  animal  having  been  "fetished"  by  some  spirit 
or  living  person,  and  the  "  fetish  man "  is  consulted  to 
find  out,  and  if  the  latter,  the  culprit  is  fined,  sold  into 
slavery  or  executed,  or  has  to  take  "  casca,"  to  prove  his 
innocence.  The  "  fetish  man  "  also  prepares  the  charms 
airainst  sickness,  &c.,  with  which  every  man,  woman,  and 
child,  as  well  as  their  huts  and  plantations,  is  provided. 

These  charms  are  of  many  kinds,  and  are  worn  round 
the  neck  and  waist,  or  suspended  from  the  shoulder.  A 
short  bit  of  wood  with  a  carved  head,  with  a  couple  of 
beads,  cowries,  or  brass  tacks  for  eyes,  and  contained  in  a 
little  pouch,  with  the  head  left  sticking  out,  and  hung  by. 
a  string  round  the  neck,  is  a  very  common  form.  A  pouch 
stuffed  full  of  fowls'  dung,  feathers,  and  "  taenia,"  is  also 
a  favourite  *'  fetish."  A  bundle  of  rags  or  shreds  of  cotton 
cloth  of  all  kinds,  black  with  filth  and  perspiration,  is  often 
seen  suspended  from  the  shoulder  or  hung  in  their  huts. 
The  large  flat  seed  of  the  "  Entada  gigantea  "  is  also  a 
common  "  fetish  "  to  hang  from  the  neck.  A  couple  of 
iron  bells  like  the  "Engongui"  described  in  page  111  but 
very  much  smaller,  and  with  a  small  bit  of  iron  as  a 
clapper  inside,  are  often  hung  from  the  neck  or  waist. 
Small  antelopes'  horns,  empty  or  filled  with  various 
kinds  of  tilth,  are  also  suspended  round  the  neck  for 
charms.  Children  are  never  seen  without  a  string 
tied  round  the  waist,  with  or  without  some  beads 
strung  on  it,  and  the  ends  hanging  down  in  front. 
The  land  shells  {Achatina  Welwitschii  and  Zehrina)  are 
filled  uith  fowls' dung  and  feathers,  *•' taenia,"  &c.,  and 
stuck  on  a  stick  in  the  plantations  and  salt  pits,  to  pro- 
tect them  from  thieves;  also  the  gourd-like  pods  or  iruit 
of  the  Baobab  tree,  likewise  filled  with  various  kinds  of 
filth,  and  painted  on  the  outside  white  and  red,  with 
"pemba"  (a  white  talcose  earth  j'rom  the  decomposition 
of  mica  and  mica  schist)  and  "  tacula."  A  great  '*  fetish" 
in  childbirth  and  infancy  is  made  in  the  shape  of  a  little 


138  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

ponch  about  two  inches  long  and  the  thickness  of  the 
middle  finger,  very  prettily  woven  of  fine  grass;  thes^e 
are  filled  with  fowls'  dung  and  "  taenia,"  and  a  couple  are 
placed  in  a  small  vessel  containing  water ;  the  father  of 
the  child  squeezes  the  pouches  in  the  water,  much  in  the 
manner  that  a  washerwoman  does  her  blue-bag,  till  it 
becomes  coloured  by  the  dirt  and  dye  in  the  pouch ;  he 
then  sprinkles  the  mother  and  newly-born  child  with  the 
dirty  water,  and  ties  one  of  the  pouches  round  the  mother's 
neck,  and  the  other  round  the  child's.  If  this  be  not  done, 
the  blacks  believe  that  the  mother  and  child  would  quickly 
die ; — the  pouches  are  not  taken  off  till  the  child  can  walk. 
Another  great  *' fetish"  in  childbirth  is  a  large  bunch 
of  a  round  hollow  seed  like  a  large  marble,  which  is 
hung  round  the  mother's  neck,  and  not  taken  off  till  the 
child  is  weaned,  generally  in  twelve  moons,  or  a  year's 
time. 

Hung  in  the  huts,  and  outside  over  the  doors  are  all 
kinds  of  "  fetishes,"  and  in  the  towns  and  about  the  huts 
are  various  figures,  generally  roughly  carved  in  wood,  and 
sometimes  made  of  clay,  but  always  coloured  red,  black 
and  white.  The  finest  "  fetishes  "  are  made  by  the  Mus- 
surongos  on  the  Congo  River.  Plate  IV.  represents 
one  obtained  at  Boma.  Some  of  these  large  "ietishes" 
have  a  wide-spread  reputation,  and  the  "  fetish  men  "  to 
whom  they  belong  are  often  sent  for  from  long  distances 
to  work  some  charm  or  cure  with  them.  I  have  con- 
stantly met  them  carrying  these  great  ugly  figures,  and 
accompanied  by  two  or  three  attendants  beating  drums 
and  chanting  a  dismal  song  as  they  go  along. 

On  the  coast  there  are  several  "fetish  men"  who  are 
believed  to  have  power  over  the  surf,  and  their  aid  is 
always  invoked  by  the  natives  when  it  lasts  long,  or  is  so 
strong  as  to  prevent  them  going  out  in  their  canoes  to 
fish.  There  is  a  celebrated  one  at  Musserra,  and  I  have 
often  seen  him  on  the  high  cliff  or  point  going  through 
his  incantations  to  allay  the  heavy  surf;  he  has  a 
special  dress  for  the  occasion,  it  being  almost  covered 
with  shells  and  sea-weed ;  he  is  called  the  "  Mother  of  the 


FETISH.  139 


AYater,"  and  his  power  is  held  in  great  dread  by  the 
nativ-es.  ^o  white  man  can  go  to  the  Granite  Pillar  at 
]\Iusst^rra  without  having  propitiated  him  by  a  present. 
This  one,  however,  being  half  idiotic,  is  a  poor  harmless 
black,  but  others  are  not  so,  and  render  themselves  very 
troublesome  to  tlie  white  traders  by  working  mischief 
against  them  amongst  the  natives.  A  young  Englishman 
established  at  Ambrizzette,  although  well  known  to  them 
for  many  years,  having  been  formerly  engaged  amongst 
them  in  the  slave  trade,  was  obliged  to  escape  from  there 
for  a  time,  in  consequence  of  an  epidemic  of  small-pox 
being  ascribed  by  the  "fetish  men"  as  having  been  intro- 
duced into  the  country  by  him,  in  a  jar ! 

Others  take  advantage  of  the  dread  the  natives  have  of 
spirits,  to  commit  robberies.  One  at  Bembe  robbed  several 
houses  during  the  absence  of  the  white  owners,  by  mewing 
like  a  cat,  when,  such  was  the  fear  of  the  blacks,  that  they 
instantly  lay  on  the  ground,  face  downwards,  and  covered 
their  heads  till  he  had  gone  away;  meantime  he  had  coolly 
walked  in  and  helped  himself  to  whatever  he  pleased ; — 
in  this  way  he  went  off  with  a  trunk  full  of  clothes  from 
the  doctor's  house,  the  servants  not  daring  to  lift  up  their 
heads  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  mewing  approaching,  in 
the  firm  belief  that  they  would  be  instantly  struck  dead  if 
they  even  saw  him.  I  heard  this  man  mewing  in  the  high 
grass  behind  my  house  one  night,  when  I  instantly  fired  a 
charge  of  small  shot  in  the  direction  of  the  noise,  and  I 
did  not  hear  him  again  till  a  few  days  after,  when,  having 
been  captured  by  a  Portuguese  soldier  whilst  attempting 
to  rob  his  hut,  he  was  tied  on  a  gun  at  the  fort,  and  by 
a  tremendous  thrashing  made  to  mew  in  earnest.  All 
the  blacks  in  the  place  went  to  .see  him  punished,  jeering 
at  him,  and  telling  him  the  white  man's  "  fetish "  was 
stronger  than  his. 

The  negroes  have  great  confidence  in  the  power  of 
"fetit^hes"  to  protect  their  houses,  &c.,  from  fire  or  other 
misibitune,  and  an  instance  that  I  witnessed  at  Bembe 
proves  their  blind  faith  in  them.  The  Cabinda  negroes 
who  were  working  as  washer-boys,  &c.,  lived  apart  from 


140  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

the  other  natives,  as  they  always  do,  in  a  little  town  or 
collection  of  huts  by  themselves ;  one  afternoon  one  of 
these  huts  caught  fire,  and  such  was  their  belief  in  their 
'•  Manipanzos  "  as  they  call  their  '•  fetish  "  figures,  to  pre- 
serve the  huts  from  fire,  that  they  did  notiiing  either  to 
put  it  out,  or  to  prevent  the  flames  spreading ;  in  a  very 
short  time  the  town  was  consumed,  and  the  Cabindas  lost 
the  whole  of  their  property;  they  ran  about  like  madmen, 
throwing  up  their  arms  and  crying  out,  and  abusing  the 
"Endochi"  (their  name  for  Endoqui)  in  Cabinda  who  had 
cheated  them  with  useless  "  fetishes,"  and  vowed  vengeance 
on  him  when  they  should  return  to  their  country. 

The  Mussurongo,  Ambriz,  and  Mubhicongo  negroes,  are 
much  afraid  of  going  about  at 'night,  unless  there  is  moon- 
light ;  if  one  is  sent  with  a  message  on  a  dark  night,  he 
always  takes  one  or  two  more  with  him  for  protection,  for 
fear  of  spirits. 

As  already  noticed  when  speaking  of  the  present  want 
of  power  of  the  King  of  Congo,  there  are  no  very  great 
chiefs  in  the  country  from  the  River  Congo  to  the  district 
of  Loanda,  the  most  important  or  powerful  being  the 
King  of  N'Bamba  and  the  "Dembo  Ambuilla,"  or  King 
of  Encoge.  Every  town  has  its  own  king  and  council, 
generally  of  ten  or  twelve  of  the  oldest  men,  who  are 
called  *-*MacGtas,"  and  who  together  administer  the  laws, 
settle  disputes,  &c.  A  king  has  no  power  by  himself,  the 
natives  simply  reverencing  him  as  being  invested  with 
the  "fetish"  of  chief,  and  he  receives  very  little  tribute 
from  the  natives  of  his  own  town  ;  the  fines  and  penalties 
levied  he  has  also  to  divide  with  the  "  Mcicotas." 

In  all  the  tribes  of  Angola  that  I  am  acquainted  with, 
the  office  of  king  descends  from  uncle  to  nephew  (or  in 
want  of  nephew,  to  niece),  but  by  the  sister's  side,  as,  from 
what  we  call  morals  being  but  little  understood  by  them, 
the  paternity  of  any  child  is  liable  to  very  great  doubt ; 
but  as  a  black  once  explained  to  me,  "  there  is  no  doubt 
that  my  si^ter  and  myself  came  from  the  same  mother, 
and  there  is  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  my  sister's  cliild 
must  be  my  nephew."     This  necessity  for  a  positive  or 


CUSTOMS.  141 


certain  descent  is  very  curious,  as  no  record  is  kept  of 
their  pedigree  or  history. 

The  only  division  of  time  being  into  moons  or  months, 
and  into  dry  and  wet  seasons,  and  no  record  of  any  kind 
being  kept,  bracks  are  quite  unable  to  estimate  then*  own 
age ;  servants  keep  an  account  of  the  months  they  are  in 
service  by  tying  a  knot  on  a  string  for  every  moon. 

Every  king  has  a  stick  of  office ;  this  is  in  form  like 
a  straight,  thick,  smooth  walking-stick,  generally  made 
of  ebony,  or  of  other  wood  dyed  black,  almost  always 
plain,  but  sometimes  carved  with  various  patterns  and 
ornamented  with  brass  tacks,  or  inlaid  \\ith  different 
designs  in  brass  or  tin  plate.  These  sticks  are  always 
sent  with  a  messenger  from  the  king,  and  serve  to  au- 
thenticate the  message.  The  principal  insignia  of  the 
king's  office  is  the  cap,  which  is  hereditary.  It  resembles 
a  short  nightcap,  and  is  made  of  fine  tibre,  generally  that 
of  the  wild  pineapple  leaf,  and  some  are  beautifully  woven 
with  raised  patterns.  The  king  never  wears  it  in  the 
usual  way,  but  on  any  occasion  of  ceremony  it  is  carried 
on  the  head  doubled  in  four.  The  "Macotas"  also  use 
the  same  kind  of  cap,  but  worn  properly  on  the  head, 
and,  like  the  king,  only  on  occasions  of  ceremony. 

When  a  white  man,  travelling,  stops  to  rest  for  meals, 
or  to  sleep  at  .a  town,  it  is  usual  for  the  king  and  "  Ma- 
cotas "  to  give  him  a  ceremonious  reception,  for  which 
the  king  dresses  himself  in  his  best,  and  when  they  are  all 
assembled  they  send  word  to  say  that  they  are  ready  to 
make  their  compliments.  The  meeting  is  generally  in 
front  of  the  king's  hut,  or  else  under  the  largest  tree  in 
the  town  (usually  a  Baobab),  where  ceremonials  have 
taken  place  from  time  immemorial.  The  king  only  is 
seated,  another  seat  being  placed  at  a  little  distance  in 
front  for  the  traveller.  All  the  hammock-boys  and  ser- 
vants belonging  to  the  latter  attend  and  squat  behind  him; 
on  the  king's  side  is  generally  tho  whole  available  popu- 
lation of  the  town,  for  whom  the  occasion  is  an  excitement, 
the  front  rows  squatting  on  the  ground,  and  the  rest  stand- 
ing crowded  together  in  a  circle.     The  traveller's  retiuue 


142  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

first  begin  by  clapping  hands  to  the  king  and  "Macotas." 
This  is  performed  in  a  peculiar  manner  by  hollowing  both 
pahns,  as  in  the  action  of  filling  them  with  water,  and 
then  bringing  them  together  cros-iwise,  when  a  much 
louder  and  deeper  sound  is  produced  than  by  chippint^ 
the  hands  in  the  ordinary  manner.  The  king  returns  the 
salute  by  extending  the  left  hand  before  him  horizontally, 
with  the  pahn  towards  him,  and  placing  the  back  of  the 
right  hand  flat  in  the  palm  of  the  left,  and  the, fingers 
projecting  over  it  are  then  waved  quickly  in  succession 
in  that  position.  (Plate  V.,"  Figs.  5,  6.)  This  is  the  uni- 
versal manner  of  greeting  in  Angola  between  an  inferior 
and  superior  of  high  rank;  when  the  difference  is  not  so 
great,  as  children  to  their  parents,  slaves  to  their  masters, 
ordinary  natives  to  their  "  Macotas,"  &e.,  both  clap  their 
hands,  but  the  inferior  has  to  do  it  first,  and  both  sqnat 
down  for  a  moment  to  do  it.  A  powerful  king  answers  a 
salute  by  simply  lifting  his  right  hand,  and  waving  his 
first  and  second  finger  only. 

The  king  then  speaks  to  one  of  the  '•'  Macotas  "  who  can 
best  translate  his  speech  to  the  wliite  man,  welcoming  him 
to  the  town,  and  inquiring  after  his  health ;  the  traveller 
then  calls  one  of  his  attendants  to  act  as  interpreter,  and 
returns  the  compliments  and  makes  the  king  a  present  of 
a  few  handkerchiefs  and  beads  for  his  wives,  but  the  cere- 
monial is  not  considered  complete  without  the  traveller 
presenting  a  bottle  or  a  drink  of  wine  or  rum,  which  the 
king  first  partakes  of,  and  then  passes  to  the  "  Macotas ; '' — 
thewhite  man  then  shakes  hands  with  the  king  and  takes 
his  leave,  the  king  always  sending  him  some  little  present, 
gen^erally  a  fowl  or  pig,  for  which,  however,  another  present 
equal  to' its  value  is  expected.  It  is  not  considered  eti- 
quette for  the  king  to  speak  Portuguese  on  these  occasions, 
however  well'  he  may  know  or  understand  it,  but  always 
to  use  his  native  language,  and  employ  an  interpreter; 
the  white  man  must  also  employ  an  interpreter  to  translate 
his  speech. 

Besides  rubbing  the  forehead  on  the  ground  to  a 
powerful  king,  which  I  liave  described  as  practised  to  the 


ARMS  AND  WAB.  143 


King  of  Congo,  the  blacks  have  another  way  of  rendering 
homage ;  this  is  by  rubbing  the  fingers  of  both  hands  on 
the  ground,  and  transferring  tlie  dust  tliat  adheres  to 
them  to  the  eyebrows,  ears,  and  cheeks. 

The  appearance  of  some  of  the  kings  dressed  in  their 
fine  ch^thes  is  very  ridiculous,  A  red  or  blue  baize  cloak 
thrown  over  the  shoulders  is  considered  the  correct  thing, 
particularly  over  an  old  uniform  of  any  kind,  with  the 
more  gold  lace  on  it  the  better.  The  old  King  of  Quirillo, 
on  the  road  to  Bembe,  was  as  amusing  a  fii^ure  as  any 
I  have  seen.  He  always  used  to  appear  in  a  woman's 
brightly-coloui'ed  chintz  gown,  with  a  short  red  cloak 
over  his  shoulders,  and  a  great  brass  cavalry  helmet  on 
his  head,  his  black  wrinkled  face  in  a  bi-oad  grin  of 
satisfaction  at  the  admiration  that  his  brilliant  costume 
appeared  to  excite  among  the  natives. 

The  blacks  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  armed  with 
flint  muskets,  of  which,  many  thousands  are  annually  passed 
in  trade  on  the  coast.  They  Lke  the  heavy  pattern  of 
gun,  unlike  the  natives  to  the  south,  who  will  only  have 
very  light  flimsy  Liege  made  guns.  They  are  fond  of 
ornamenting  the  stock  with  brass  tacks  ; — I  have  seen  the 
whole  of  the  woodwork  of  some  of  their  muskets  completely 
covered  with  them.  They  have  no  idea  of  using  them 
properly,  generally  firing  them  from  the  side  without  any 
regard  to  aim  or  the  distance  that  they  can  carry.  Their 
manner  of  loading  them  I  have  already  described. 

These  natives  are  arrant  cowards,  and  in  their  so-called 
wars  or  disputes  between  one  town  and  another  they  seldom 
re>ort  to  firearms  to  settle  their  differences.  If  one  man  is 
killed  or  wounded  it  is  considered  a  very  great  war  indeed, 
although  a  great  deal  of  powder  may  have  been  burnt  in 
mutual  defiance  at  a  safe  distance.  The  Portuguese  were 
engaged  in  war  on  several  occasions  on  the  road  to  Bembe, 
and  punished,  by  burning,  a  number  of  towns  where  rob- 
beries had  been  committed,  and  where,  from  the  thickness 
of  the  bush  and  forest,  the  ridiculously  small  force  at  their 
command  would  have  been  quickly  massacred,  had  not 
the  natives  been  such  craven  cowards  and  so  incapable  of 


14i  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

using  their  firearms.  A  shot  from  a  six-pounder  gun,  by 
which  a  king  and  seven  other  blacks  were  killed — swept 
off  a  path  where  they  were  standing  in  file  at  what 
they  considered  a  safe  distance — contributed  more  than 
anything  else  to  restore  peace  on  the  road. 

The  boats  that  used  to  navigate  the  Kiver  Congo  were 
formerly  armed  with  a  small  carronade,  to  protect  them- 
selves from  any  attack  by  the  piratical  Mussurongos  on  that 
river.  One  of  these  carronades  falling  into  the  hands  of 
those  blacks  was  by  them  sold  to  a  town  in  the  interior. 
The  natives  of  this  became  involved  in  a  dispute  with  those 
of  a  powerful  neighbouring  town,  who  proceeded  to  attack 
it.  The  natives  of  the  former  town,  who  depended  on  the 
carronade  as  their  principal  means  of  defence,  placed  it 
on  the  path,  loaded  to  the  muzzle  with  powder  and  stones, 
and  laying  a  long  train  of  powder  to  it  awaited  the  alvanco 
of  the  enemy ;  when  it  appeared  in  sight  the  train  was 
fired,  and  the  inhabitants  took  to  their  heels.  The  assail- 
ing army,  hearing  such  a  terrific  report,  paused  to  consider, 
and  prudently  decided  to  return  to  their  town.  Next  day 
they  sent  proposals  of  peace  to  the  little  town,  saying  that 
as  the  latter  had  such  a  big  "  fetish,"  they  could  not  think 
of  making  war  any  more. 

The  Mussurongo  and  Ambriz  blacks  knock  out  the  two 
middle  front  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw  on  arriving  at  the  age 
of  puberty.  The  Mushicongos  are  distinguished  from  them 
by  having  all  their  front  teeth,  top  and  bottom,  chipped 
into  points,  which  ^ives  them  a  very  curious  appearance. 
These  tribes,  like  all  blacks,  have  magnificent  sets  of  teeth, 
and  the  , great  care  they  take  to  keep  them  beautifully 
clean  is  most  singular,  considering  their  generally  dirty 
habits  and  want  of  cleanliness.  A  negro's  first  care  in  the 
morning  is  to  rinse  out  his  mouth,  generally  using  his 
forefinger  to  rub  his  teeth  ;  the  big  mouthful  of  water  with 
which  they  wash  their  mouths  is  always  squirted  out  after- 
wards in  a  thin  stream  on  their  hands,  to  wash  them  with, 
this  being  about  the  extent  of  their  ablutions.  Many  use 
a  bit  of  cane  switch  or  soft  stick  with  the  end  beaten  into 
a  brush  of  fibres  to  clean  their  teeth  with,  this  brush  being 


I 


DBESS.  145 


often  carried  su^^pended  from  a  piece  of  string  rouud  their 
necks.  After  eveiy  meal  they  always  wash  their  moutlis 
and  teeth,  and  I  have  seen  them  dip  their  forefinger  into 
the  clean  sharp  sand  of  a  river,  and  use  it  vigorously  as 
tooth-powder. 

Polygamy  is  of  course  an  established  institution  among 
the  natives  of  Angola,  and  the  number  of  Avives  that  a 
black  may  keep  is  only  regulated  by  his  means  to  main- 
tain them.  This  applies  to  free  blacks,  the  wives  or 
married  women  being  all  free.  A  free  man  may  also  keep 
as  many  slaves  and  concubines  as  he  can  clothe. 

There  is  no  ceremony  of  marriage  amongst  the  Mussu- 
rongo,  Ambriz,  or  Mushicongo  blacks,  except  mutual 
consent,  but  the  bridegroom  has  to  make  his  father-in-law 
a  present  of  from  two  to  three  pieces  of  cloth  an<:l  some 
bottles  of  rum.  He  has,  besides,  to  provide  a  feast  to 
which  all  the  relatives  of  both  families  are  invited,  and  in 
which  a  pig  is  an  indispensable  element,  and  as  much 
rum  or  other  drink  as  his  means  will  allow.  The  bride's 
trousseau  is  also  provided  by  him,  but  this,  among  the 
poorer  Musliicongos,  very  often  only  consists  of  a  couple 
of  handkerchiefs  or  a  fathom  of  cotton  cloth.  In  many 
cases  the  bride  is  delivered  over  naked  to  the  bridegroom. 
He  has  to  provide  her  with  clothing,  baskets,  hoe,  pipe, 
pots  for  cooking,  wooden  platters,  &c.,  and  a  separate  hut 
with  sleeping  mat  for  each  wife ;  in  return  for  this  the 
wives  have  to  cook  and  cultivate  the  plantations  and  to 
keef)  themselves  and  the  husband  in  food.  Should  he  be 
unable  to  supply  a  wife  Avith  the  customary  clothing,  &c., 
she  can  leave  him  and  return  to  her  parents,  in  which  case 
he  loses  her,  and  the  amount  he  gave  for  her  as  well. 

The  dross  of  the  blacks  near  the  coast  is,  as  might 
be  expected,  not  so  scanty  as  those  farther  inland.  The 
men  wear  a  waistcloth  reaching  to  the  knees,  tied  round 
the  waist  with  a  strip  of  red  baize,  and  those  who  can 
afford  it  fringe  the  ends  of  the  cloth,  which  are  allowed 
to  hang  nearly  to,  and  in  some  cases  to  trail  on,  the  ground. 
The  women  sew  together  two  widths  of  cotton  cloth,  which 
is  worn  wrapped  round  the  body,  covering  it  from  under 

L 


146  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

the  arm-pits  to  the  knees,  and  tied  in  the  same  manner 
round  the  waist  with  a  strip  of  baize; — the  top-end  being 
lucked  in,  secures  the  cloth  under  the  arms  over  the 
breast,  but  when  travelh'ng  or  working  in  the  fields,  they 
allow  the  top  width  to  fall  down  on  their  hips,  and  leave 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  exposed.  In  the  poorer  towns 
the  men  only  wear  a  small  waistcloth  of  cotton  cloth  or 
matting;  the  women  also  wear  a  short  waistcloth,  and  a 
handkerchief  folded  diagonally  and  tied  tightly  under  the 
arms,  with  the  ends  hanging  over  and  partly  concealing 
the  breasts.  Girls  and  young  women  generally  wear  a 
single  handkerchief  tied  by  a  string  round  their  hips,  the 
ends  of  the  handkerchief  not  meetinii^  at  the  side,  leaving 
one  thigh  exposed.  Children  run  about  stark  naked,  or 
with  a  piece  of  string  tied  round  the  waist  and  the  ends 
hanging  down  in  front.  Their  covering  at  night  is  only 
the  waistcloth  or  mat,  which  is  generally  long  enough  to 
cover  them  from  head  to  foot.  Tliese  mats  are  made  from 
the  cuticle  of  the  leaves  of  a  dwarf  palm,  which  is  peeled 
off  when  green  and  dried  in  the  sun.  It  is  only  very  fe\v 
of  the  richer  folks  who  have  a  baize  cloth  or  other  covering 
for  their  bodies  at  night.  As  might  be  expected,  they  are 
very  glad  to  get  cast-off  garments,  and  they  will  wear  any 
article  of  clothing  however  ragged  it  may  be.  One  of  my 
boys,  to  whom  I  had  given  an  old  shirt  without  a  back, 
fastened  it  on  by  lacing  it  up  behind  with  a  string,  and 
the  contrast  presented  by  his  shiny  black  back  and  his 
clean  shirt  front,  collar,  and  sleeves,  was  most  comical. 
Another  hammock-boy  made  his  appearance  in  a  wide- 
awake, blue  silk  tie,  pair  of  slippers,  and  the  body-part  of 
an  old  pair  of  white  duck-trousers  I  had  given  him,  the 
legs  of  w  hich  he  had  cut  off  to  make  a  present  of  to  his 
brother.  The  cotton  umbrellas  they  receive  in  barter 
from  the  traders,  each  segment  of  which  is  a  different 
bright  colour,  when  old  are  taken  off  the  ribs,  the  hole  at 
the  top  is  enlargefl  to  pass  the  head  through,  and  they  are 
then  \vorn  on  the  shoulders  like  a  cape. 

The  coast  tribes  do  not  interfere  with  nature  in  the 
development  of  the  female  figure,  but  the  Mushicongoi 


DRESS.  147 


object  to  prominent  breasts,  and  girls  tie  a  string  tightly- 
round  the  chest  to  reduce  the  growing  breasts  to  the  per- 
fectly flat  shape  in  fashion ; — the  appeai-ance  of  some  of  tlie 
old  negresses  .with  their  breasts  lianging  low  and  flat  in 
front  is  very  disgusting. 

The  bUxcks  have  a  great  admiration  for  a  wliite  woman's 
costume,  and  I  shall  never  forget  an  old  "Capata's" 
description  of  a  Portuguese  officer's  wife  that  he  had  seen 
at  Ambriz,  or  his  imitation  of  her  slim  waist  and  flowing 
dress.  I  tol  1  him  I  would  send  him  a  thin-waisted  wite 
from  England  if  he  promised  to  put  away  the  three  he 
then  had ;  he  refused  then,  but  next  day  came  to  me  and 
said  that,  having  considered  my  offer,  he  would  accept  it ! 

The  Mussurongo,  but  not  the  Ambriz  or  Mushicongo 
men,  wear  ankle-rings  made  of  brass  (European  make),  or 
of  tin,  made  by  themselves  from  bar-tin  obtained  in  trade 
from  the  white  men.  The  women  of  the  three  tribes  are 
very  fond  of  wearing  rings  both  on  their  arms  and  legs; 
these  are  sometimes  made  in  one  piece  of  thin  brass  wire 
wound  loosely  round  the  arm  or  leg,  but  a  number  of 
separate  rings,  about  the  size  of  ordinary  rings  on  curtain- 
rods,  is  most  esteemed,  and  they  must  be  solid ;  they  are 
not  appreciated  if  hollow.  Some  of  the  richer  women  wear 
as  many  as  twenty  of  these  rings  on  each  leg  and  arm,  the 
Aveight  rendering  them  almost  unable  to  move,  but  six  or 
eight  is  a  very  usual  number  to  wear  on  each  limb.  It 
must  not  be  understood  that  this  is  the  universal  custom, 
as  it  is  only  the  wives  of  the  kings  or  "  Macotas ''  who  can 
afford  these  ornaments. 

These  three  tribes  generally  keep  their  heads  shaved, 
or  else  only  allow  their  hair  to  grow  very  short,  and 
cut  or  shave  it  into  various  patterns,  sometimes  very 
complicated  in  character.  Where  razors  or  scissors  are 
scarce,  I  have  seen  blacks  shave  heads  with  a  piece  of 
glass  split  from  the  bottom  of  an  ordinary  bottle,  the 
operator  stretching  the  skin  of  the  scalp  tightly  towards 
him  with  the  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  while  he  scrapes 
away  from  him  with  the  sharp  edge  of  the  wedge-shaped 
piece  of  glass  in  his  right.    Did  they  not  keep  their  woolly 

L  2 


148  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

heads  so  free  from  hair,  great  would  be  the  production  of 
a  certain  obnoxious  insect,  under  the  combine  1  influence 
of  dirt  and  heat.  Amongst  the  Mnsliicongos  tlie  chiefs* 
wives  and  other  more  aristocratic  ladies  allow  their  hair  to 
grow  into  a  huge  worsted-looking  bush  or  mop,  which  is 
carefully  combed  straight  up  and  out,  and  of  course 
swarms  with  insect  inhabitants.  A  very  curious  plan  is 
adopted  to  entrap  them : — a  number  of  little  liask-shaped 
gourds,  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  pear,  are  strung 
through  their  necks  on  a  string,  whicli  is  tied  round  the 
greasy  forehead ;  a  little  loose  cotton-wool  is  stuffed  into 
each,  and  the  open  narrow  ends  stick  into  the  bush  of  hair; 
they  are  taken  off*  each  morning,  the  cotton-wool  is  pulled 
out,  and  the  little  innocents  that  have  crawled  into  it  are 
crunched  on  the  ground  with  a  stone ;  the  wool  is  replaced, 
and  they  are  again  hung  round  the^back  of  the  head  as 
before.  These  traps  in  fact  act  in  the  same  way  as  the 
little  pots  turned  upside  down  and  filled  with  hay,  which 
our  gardeners  employ  to  capture  earwigs  on  dahlias. 

Hunting  them  by  hand  is  of  course  very  much  in  vogue, 
and  I  was  once  greatly  amused  at  the  way  the  chase  was 
carried  on  on  a  woman's  head  at  a  town  called  Sangue, 
near  Bembe.  She  was  sitting  on  a  low  stool,  and  two 
girls  were  busily  turning  over  her  hair  and  collecting  the 
lively  specimens,  which,  as  they  were  caught,  were  pinched 
to  prevent  their  crawding,  and  placed  in  the  open  palm  of 
a  child's  hand,  who  also  stood  in  the  group.  My  curiosity 
Avas  excited  as  to  the  reason  of  the  specimens  being  thus 
carefully  preserved,  and  on  asking  one  of  my  hammock- 
boys,  he  told  me  'Hhat  is  for  the  payment" —  they  are 
afterwards  counted,  and  the  girls  get  a  glass  bead  for 
every  one  they  have  caught. 

I  thought  that  a  bead  each  was  rather  high  pay  for  the 
work,  and  told  him  so ;  his  answer  was-,  "  If  you  had  a 
hundred  on  your  head,  would  you  not  give  a  hundred  beads 
to  have  them  caught  ?  "  and  I  was  obliged  to  confess  that 
I  should  consider  it  a  cheap  riddance. 

The  Zombo  and  other  natives  farther  to  the  interior, 
who  come  to  the  coast  with  ivory,  &c.,  seldom  shave  their 


THE  ZOMBO  TBIBE.  140 

heads :  the  common  lot  let  their  hair  grow  anyhow,  with- 
out apparently  ever  combing  it  out — a  confused  mass  of 
wool,  dirt,  and  palm  oil — so  that  it  gives  them  a  wild 
appearance;  others  comb  it  straight  up,  letting  it  grow 
about  six  inches  long,  and  ornament  the  front  with  a 
cock's  leather  or  a  red  flower,  or  sometimes  stick  two  or 
three  brass  tacks  in  it ;  others  shave  their  heads  all  round, 
leaving  the  hair  in  the  middle  to  grow  uprii>ht,  but  the 
most  usual  manner  is  to  plait  their  hair  in  little  strings 
all  over  the  head  ;  some  twist  and  plait  these  strings  again 
round  the  head,  ending  at  the  top  in  a  round  knob,  so 
that  they  look  exactly  as  if  they  had  a  basket  on  their 
heads. 

Any  malformation  with  which  a  child  may  be  born  is 
considered  a  ''  fetish  "  by  the  negroes  in  Angola.  A  very 
short  or  sunken  neck  is  thought  a  very  great  fetish  indeed. 
I  saw  two  blacks  in  the  Bembo  country  who  seemed  to 
have  no  necks  at  all. 

Albinos  are  not  at  all  uncommon,  and  very  repulsive 
looking  creatures  they  are,  with  their  dirty  white,  scabby, 
shrunken  skins.  Blacks  with  six  fingers  and  toes  are  often 
seen,  and  are  also  considered  as  "fetish." 

Women  bear  children  with  the  greatest  facility.  In 
every  town  there  are  one  or  more  old  women  who  act  as 
midwives,  and  I  was  informed  that  very  few  deaths  indeed 
occur  from  childbirth,  and  in  a  very  short  time  after  the 
mothers  may  be  seen  about. 

A  very  striking  instance  of  the  ease  with  which  women 
go  through  this  trial,  happened  to  my  knowledge  whilst  I 
was  at  Benguella.  Senhor  OonceiQao,  the  agent  of  the  copper 
mine  I  was  exploring  there,  had  occasion  to  send  up  a  number 
of  poles  to  the  mine,  which  was  about  six  miles  inland.  He 
called  his  slaves  together  early  one  morning  and  told  them 
that  all  who  were  able  to  carry  poles  should  take  up  one  and 
go  off  to  the  mine  with  it ; — these  wooden  poles  weighing 
about  thirty  to  forty  pounds  each.  About  twenty  of  the 
slaves  in  the  yard  shouldered  one,  and  away  they  went, 
merrily  singing  together.  Amongst  them  was  a  woman 
near  her  continemeut,  who   need  not   have   gone  with 


150  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

her  companions  if  she  had  chosen  to  remain  behind. 
After  breakfast  we  proceeded  to  the  mine,  and  on  arriving 
at  a  place  about  four  miles  off  we  noticed  a  few  of  the 
poles  on  the  ground,  but  none  of  the  bearers  near;  our 
hammock-boys  shouted  for  them,  thinking  they  had 
perhaps  gone  into  the  bush  and  laid  down  to  sleep,  leaving 
their  loads  on  the  road.  A  woman  came  out  of  a  thicket 
and  explained  that  the  pregnant  woman's  time  had  arrived, 
and  that  the  child  had  just  been  born.  Senhor  Concei^ao 
ordered  the  women  to  remain  with  her  till  we  should  arrive 
at  the  mine,  when  he  would  send  bearers  with  a  hammock, 
blanket,  wine,  &c.,  to  carry  her  back.  After  some  time 
they  returned,  saying  that  she  and  the  other  women  had 
gone!  and  Avhen  we  reached  Benguella  in  the  evening, 
Senhora  Concei9ao  described  to  us  her  surprise  at  seeing 
the  women  return  carrying  green  boughs,  singing  merrily, 
and  accompanying  the  woman  bearing  her  new-born  baby 
in  her  arms,  she  having  walked  back  all  the  way,  not  caring 
to  wait  for  the  hammock ! 

An  allowance  of  grog  was  served  out,  and  a  ''batuco," 
or  dance,  was  held  by  all  the  slaves  in  honour  of  the  event, 
whilst  the  woman  coolly  sat  on  a  stone  in  their  midst, 
nursing  her  baby  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  burial  of  kings,  or  head  men,  and  their  wives  in 
this  part  of  Angola  is  very  singular.  When  the  person 
dies,  a  shallow  pit  is  dug  in  the  floor  of  the  hut  in  which 
he  or  she  died,  just  deep  enough  to  contain  the  body. 
This,  which  is  seldom  more  than  skin  and  bone,  is  placed 
naked  in  the  trench  on  its  back,  and  then  covered  with  a 
thin  layer  of  earth.  On  this  three  fires  are  lighted  and 
kept  burning  for  a  whole  moon  or  month,  the  hot  ashes 
being  constantly  spread  over  the  whole  grave.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  the  body  is  usually  sufficiently  baked  cr 
dried :  it  is  then  taken  out  and  placed  on  its  back  on  an 
open  framework  of  sticks,  and  fires  kept  burning  under  it 
till  the  body  is  thoroughly  smoke-dried.  During  the 
whole  time  the  body  is  being  dried,  the  hut  in  which  the 
operation  is  performed  is  always  full  of  people,  the  women 
keeping  up  a  dismal  crying  day  and  night,  particularly 


BURIAL.     ■  151 


the  latter ;  —I  have  often  been  annoyed  and  liad  my  rest 
disturbed  by  their  monotonous  and  unceasiug  howl  on 
tliese  occasions. 

At  the  pretty  town  of  Lambo  I  was  obliged  one  night 
to  leave  and  bivouac  at  some  distance  under  a  Baobab,  to 
escape  the  noise  kept  up  over  the  dead  body  of  one  of  the 
king's  wives,  which  was  undergoing  the  Inst  process  of 
drying  over  a  fire ;  I  looked  into  the  hut  and  saw  a  naked 
bloated  body  stiff  and  black  on  the  frame,  over  a  good 
fire,  where,  as  one  of  my  hammock-boys  told  me,  it  would 
take  long  in  drying,  as  she  was  "  so  fat  and  made  so  much 
dripping."  The  stench  from  the  body  and  the  number  of 
blacks  in  the  hut  was  something  indescribable. 

When  the  body  is  completely  desiccated  it  is  wrapped  in 
cloth  and  stuck  upright  in  a  corner  of  the  hut,  where  it 
remains  until  it  is  buried,  sometimes  two  years  after.  The 
reason  for  this  is,  that  all  the  relations  of  the  deceased  must 
be  present  at  the  final  ceremony,  when  the  body  is  wrapped 
in  as  many  yards  of  cloth  as  they  can  possibly  afibrd,  some 
of  the  kings  being  rolled  in  several  hundred  yards  of 
different  cloth.  On  the  occasion  of  the  burial  a  '*  wake  " 
or  feast  consisting  of  "  batnco,"  or  dancing,  with  firing  of 
guns  and  consumption  of  drink,  roast  pig,  and  other  fuod, 
is  held  for  the  whole  night. 

It  is  believed  that  the  spirit  of  the  dead  person  will 
haunt  the  town  where  he  died,  and  commit  mischief  if  the 
"  wake  "  is  not  held. 

About  Ambriz,  and  on  the  coast,  it  is  the  fashion  to 
place  boots  or  shoes  on  the  feet  of  free  men  when  they 
are  buried,  and  old  boots  and  shoes  are  considered  a  great 
gift  from  the  whites  for  this  purpose.  The  body  is  gene- 
rally buried  in  the  same  hut  occupied  by  the  person 
during  life.  In  some  few  places  they  have  a  regular 
burial  ground,  the  graves,  generally  simple  mounds, 
being  ornamented  with  broken  crockery  and  bottles.  The 
natives  have  great  veneration  for  their  dead,  and  I  found 
it  impossible  to  obtain  a  dried  body  as  a  specimen, 
although  I  offered  a  high  price  for  one. 

Very  little  ceremony  is  used  in  burying  blacks  found 


152  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

dead,  Avho  do  not  belons^  to  the  town  in  or  near  which 
they  have  died ;  the  wrists  and  knees  are  tied  together 
and  a  pole  pissed  through,  and  they  are  then  carried  by 
two  men  and  buried  outside,  anywhere ; — if  tlie  corpse  is 
that  of  a  man,  his  staff  and  "mutete"  are  hiid  ou  the 
grave ;  if  a  woman,  a  basket  is  placed  on  it.    (Plate  XII.) 

Their  mourning  is  simple  and  inexpensive;  a  few 
ground-nuts  are  roasted  in  a  crock  till  they  are  nearly 
burnt,  and  being  very  oily  are  then  readily  ground  into  a 
perfectly  black  paste.  This,  according  to  the  relationship 
with  the  deceased,  is  either  rubbed  over  the  whole,  or  only 
part  of  the  face  and  head ;  in  some  cases  this  painting  is 
a  complicated  affair,  being  in  various  devices  all  over  the 
shaven  head  and  face,  and  takes  some  time  and  pains  to 
effect ;  and  to  prevent  its  being  rubbed  off  at  night  by 
the  cloth  with  which  they  cover  themselves,  they  place 
a  basket  kind  of  mask  on  their  faces.  (Plate  IV.)  This 
mask  is  also  employed  to  keep  off  tlie  cloth  from  the  face 
and  prevent  the  mosquitoes  from  biting  through. 

Circumcision  is  a  universal  custom  among  the  blacks  of 
Angola.  They  have  no  reason  for  this  custom  other  than 
that  it  would  be  "  fetish  "  not  to  perform  it,  and  in  some 
of  the  tiibes  they  cannot  marry  without. 

The  operation  is  only  performed  in  a  certain  "moon" 
(June),  the  one  alter  the  last  of  the  rainy  season,  and  on 
a  number  of  boys  at  a  time.  For  this  purpose  a  large 
barracoon  is  built,  generally  on  a  hill  and  at  some  little 
distance  from  .any  town.  There  the  boys  live  for  a  "moon" 
or  month  under  the  care  of  the  "  fetish  man  "  or  doctor, 
and  employ  their  time  in  beating  drums  and  singing  a 
wild  kind  of  chant,  and  in  hunting  rats  in  the  fields 
immediately  the  grass  is  burnt  down.  The  boys'  food  is 
taken  up  daily  by  the  men  of  the  towns,  women  not  being 
allowed  to  approach  the  barracoon  during  the  time :  the 
path  leading  to  it  is  marked  where  it  joins  the  main  path 
by  one  or  two  large  figures  made  either  of  clay  or  straw, 
or  smaller  ones  roughly  carved  of  wood,  and  always  of  a 
very  indecent  character.  At  the  end  of  the  month  the 
boys   return    to   their   towns,   wearing  a   head-dress  of 


INSANITY. 


153 


feathers,  singing  and  beating  drums,  and  preceded  by  the 
*'  fetish  man." 

Insanity  exists,  though  rarely,  among  blacks.  I  have 
only  seen  several  natural  born  idiots,  but  I  have  been 
informed  by  the  natives  that  they  have  violent  madmen 
amongst  them,  whom  they  are  obliged  to  tie  up,  and 
sometimes  even  kill;  and  I  have  been  assured  that  some 
hmatics  roam  about  wild  and  naked  in  the  forest,  living 
on  roots,  sometimes  entering  the  towns  when  hard  pressed 
by  hunger,  to  pick  up  dirt  and  garbage,  or  pull  up  the 
mandioca  roots  in  the  plantations.  This  can  only  be  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  where  the  larger  carnivora  are 
scarce,  or  with  the  exception  of  the  hysena,  almost  entirely 
absent. 


(    154    ) 


.    .    CHAPTER  IX. 

CUSTOMS    OF   THE   MUSSUKONGO,  AMBRIZ,  AND  MUSHICONGO 

NEGROES  —  MANDIOCA    PLANT ITS     PREPARATIONS  — 

CHILI     PEPPER  —  BANANAS  —  RATS  —  WHITE     ANT  — 
NATIVE    BEER  —  STRANGE   SOUNDS. 

The  ]\Iussurongo,  Ambriz,  and  Mushicongo  negroes  have 
hardly  any  industrial  or  mechanical  occupation ;  they 
weave  no  cloths  of  cotton  or  other  fibre  ;  their  only  manu- 
factures being  the  few  implements,  baskets,  pots,  &c., 
required  in  their  agriculture  and  household  operations. 

The  reason  for  this  want  of  industry,  apart  from  t!ie 
inherent  laziness  and  utter  dislike  of  the  negroes  for  work 
of  any  kind,  is  to  be  found  in  their  socialistic  and  con- 
servative ideas  and  laws. 

No  man  can  be  richer  than  his  neighbour,  n,or  must 
he  acquire  his  riches  by  any  other  than  the  usual  or 
establislied  means  of  barter  or  trade  of  the  natural  pro- 
ducts of  the  country,  or  of  his  plantations. 

Sliould  a  native  return  to  his  town,  after  no  matter  how 
long  an  absence,  with  more  than  a  moderate  amount  of 
cloth,  bea  !s,  &c,  as  the  result  of  his  labour,  he  is  imme- 
diately accused  of  witchcratt  or  '*  fetish,"  and  his  property 
distributed  among  all,  and  is  often  fined  as  well. 

1  have  already  mentioned  how  the  natives  at  Bembe, 
on  receiving  their  pay,  would  squander  it  in  riot  before 
leaving  for  their  towns,  knowing  that  it  Mould  only  be 
taken  away  from  them,  and  so  preferring  to  enjoy  them- 
selves with  it  first. 

Some  of  the  black  traders  on  the  coast,  who  acquire 
large  values  in  the  ivory  trade,  have  to  invest  them  in 
slaves,  and  even  form  towns  consisting  of  their  wives  and 


CUSTOMS.  155 


slayes,  and  entirely  maintained  by  them ; — even  these 
traders  are  constantly  being  accused  of  *' fetish,"  from 
wliich  they  have  to  clear  themselves  by  heavy  payments. 

We  have  ah-eady  seen  how  there  are  hardly  any  social 
distinctions  among  tlie  negroes,  and  consequently  no  ne- 
cessity for  finer  clothing,  food,  liouses,  &c. ;  it  is  even 
considered  very  mean  for  one  black  to.  eat  or  drinlv  by 
himself.  Any  food  or  drink,  however  little,  given  to 
them,  is  always  distributed  amongst  those  present.  The 
Portuguese  convict  whom  I  have  described  as  owning  the 
sugar-cane  phmtation  at  Quincollo,  goes  under  the  nick- 
name among  the  blacks  of  "riadia,"or  one  who  eats  alone, 
from  his  having,  when  first  starting  a  grog  shop,  lived  in 
a  hut  apart,  and  as  the  blacks  said  "  when  he  ate  his 
dinner  no  other  white  man  saw  him,  and  what  was  over  he 
kept  for  the  next  day." 

Nature  favours  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  blacks, 
removing  all  inducement  to  work  by  providing  with  a 
prodigal  hand  their  few  necessities,  and  exacting  scarcely 
any  exertion  on  their  part  in  return.  Their  principal 
food  or  staff  of  life,  the  mandioca  root,  does  not  even 
require  harvesting  or  storing.  A  knife  or  matchet,  a  hoe, 
a  sleeping  mat,  and  a  couple  of  pots  and  baskets,  enable 
persons  about  to  marry  to  begin  life  and  rear  a  large 
family  without  the  least  misgiving  for  the  future,  or 
anxiety  for  the  payment  of  rent,  doctor's  and  tailor's 
bills,  schooling,  rates  or  taxes. 

The  materials  for  their  huts  grow  around  them  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  a  few  forked  upright  poles  form  the 
walls,  and  bear  others  forming  the  roof;  thin  sticks  tied 
horizontally  or  perpendicularly  to  the  uprights,  both  inside 
and  out,  forming  a  double  wall,  complete  the  framework 
of  the  hut,  which  is  then  plastered  with  clay  or  earth,  or 
covi-red  with  grass  or  **loandos,"  or  mats  made  of  the 
dried  stem  of  the  papyrus.  The  roof  is  of  grass  neatly 
laid  on  in  layers  like  tiiatch,  on  a  frame  of  light  cane  or 
the  mid-rib  of  the  palm-leaf.  The  door  is  made  of  slabs 
of  the  **i\Iafumeira"  or  cotton-wood  tree,  or  of  palm-leaves 
woven  together ;  the  door  is  always  about  a  foot  from  the 


15G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

ground,  and  the  threshold  generally  the  trunk  of  a  small 
tree,  forming  the  usual  seat  of  the  inmates  during  the  day. 

The  IMushicongos,  living  on  the  mica  schist  and  clay 
slate  formations,  which  decompose  readily,  forming  tena- 
cious clayey  soils,  and  are  the  favourite  habitat  of  the 
white  ant,  are  obliged  to  prepare  with  great  care  the 
poles  employed  in  building  their  huts,  in  order  to  pre- 
serve them  from  the  ravages  of  that  most  destructive 
insect. 

For  this  purpose  the  poles  are  soaked  for  months  in 
stagnant  pooh,  until  they  become  black  with  fetid  mud 
or  slime,  and  the  end  which  is  intended  to  be  stuck  in  the 
ground  is  then  held  over  a  fire  till  the  surface  is  charred. 
The  smoke  from  the  fire,  always  kept  burning  in  a  hut, 
preserves  it  perfectly  from  the  attacks  of  the  white  ant, 
the  interior  becoming  in  time  perfectly  black  and  shining 
as  if  varnished,  there  being  of  course  no  chimney  and  very 
seldom  a  window,  though  sometimes  an  open  space  is  lett 
at  the  top  ends  for  the  smoke  to  issue  from. 

The  furniture  is  restricted  to  a  bed,  made  of  a  frame- 
work of  sticks  or  palm-leaves  plaited  together,  and  resting 
on  two  logs  of  wood  or  short  forked  sticks,  so  as  to  raise  it 
about  six  inches  or  a  foot  from  the  ground.  On  the  bed 
is  laid  a  sleeping-mat  made  by  the  natives  of  the  interior, 
and  sometimes  there  is  a  mat-pillow  stuffed  \^ith  wild 
cotton,  but  this  is  seldom  more  than  an  inch  or  two  thick  ; 
— blacks  mostly  sleep  without  pillows,  with  their  heads 
resting  on  the  extended  arm. 

The  negroes  from  the  interior  are  sometimes  seen  using 
curious  small  pillows  made  of  wood  (Plate  IV.)  and  carved 
in  fanciful  patterns;  they  carry  them  slung  from  the 
shoulder.  A  very  singidar  habit  of  all  negroes  is  that  of 
never  slinging  anything  across  the  shoulders  and  chest  as 
we  do,  but  always  from  one  shoulder,  and  hanging  under 
the  arm. 

Building  huts  is  man's  work,  and  as  no  nails  of  any  kind 
are  employed  in  their  construction,  the  sticks  only  being 
notched  and  tied  together  with  baobab  fibre,  a  few  days, 
with  but  little  trouble,  suffices  to  buijd  one. 


THE  MANDIOCA  PLANT.  157 

Women's  work  is  entirely  restricted  to  cultivating  the 
ground  and  preparing  the  food.  Their  simple  agricul- 
tural operations  are  all  performed  with  one  implement,  a 
single-handed  hoe  (Plate  V.).  This  hoe  is  made  of  iron, 
nearly  round,  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  large  oyster- 
shell,  and  has  a  short  spike  which  is  burnt  into  the  end  of 
the  handle,  a  short  knobbed  stick  about  eighteen  inches 
long.  With  tliis  Jioe  the  ground  is  cleared  of  grass  and  weeds, 
which  are  gathered  into  heaps  when  dry,  and  burnt.  The 
ground  is  then  dug  to  a  depth  of  about  six  to  eight  inches, 
and  the  loose  broken  earth  scraped  together  into  little  hil- 
locks ready  for  planting  the  mandioca.  This  plant,  the 
Cassada  or  Cassava  of  the  West-Indies,  &c.  (Manihot  aijn), 
grows  as  a  peculiar  thick  round  bush  from  three  to  six 
feet  high,  bearing  an  abundance  of  bright  green,  handsome 
deeply-cut  leaves ;  it  flowers  but  sparingly,  and  bears  few 
seeds ;  it  is  propagated  by  cuttings,  any  part  of  the  stem 
or  branches,  which  are  soft,  brittle,  and  knotty,  very  readily 
taking  root.  About  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season  is 
the  usual  time  of  planting, — two  or  three  short  pieces  of 
stem,  about  a  foot  long,  being  stuck  in  each  hillock.  In 
some  places  two  of  the  pieces  are  of  equal  length,  and 
planted  near  each  other,  the  third  piece  being  shorter,  and 
planted  in  a  slanting  position  across  the  other  two.  This 
method  of  planting  is  supposed,  but  with  what  truth  I 
know  not,  to  produce  a  greater  crop  of  roots  than  any 
other.  The  mandioca  is  of  rapid  and  luxuriant  growth, 
and  in  favourable  soil  the  plant  throws  out  many  branches. 
The  roots  are  very  similar  in  outward  appearance  to  those 
of  the  dahlia,  thougli  of  course,  very  much  larger;  the 
usual  size  is  about  a  foot  long,  but  roots  two  feet  long  and 
several  inches  wide  throughout  are  of  common  occurrence. 
When  fresh  they  are  white  and  of  a  peculiar  compact, 
dense,  brittle  texture,  more  like  that  of  the  common  chest- 
nut than  anything  else  I  can  compare  it  to,  and  not  un- 
like it  in  taste,  though  not  so  sweet,  and  more  j'licy. 
They  are  covered  by  a  thin,  dark,  rough,  dry  skin,  which 
is  very  easily  detached.  Gentle  hill  slopes  are  the  places 
generally  chosen  for  the  mandioca  plantations,  to  ensure 


15S  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 

good  di-ninage,  as  the  roots  are  said  to  rot  readily  in  plar*es 
M'heie  water  stagnates.  The  mandioca-root  is  sufficiently 
larue  and  good  to  eat,  about  nine  months  after  planting, 
but  is  only  pulled  up  then  in  case  of  need,  as  it  does  not 
attain  its  iull  perfection  for  filteen  or  eighteen  months 
after  the  cuttings  are  planted,  and  as  it  can  lemain  in  the 
ground  for  two  or.  even  three  years  without  damage  or 
deterioration,  there  is  no  need  of  a  regular  time  for  digging 
it  np.  ^t  is  eaten  fresh  and  raw  as  taken  out  of  the 
ground,  tliongh  the  natives  are  fondest  of  its  various 
preparations. 

TJie  roots  peeled  and  dried  in  the  sun  constitute  what 
is  called  ^'bala,"  and  are  eaten  t^us  or  roastfd.  *-Bomb6" 
is  prepared  by  placing  the  roots  in  water  for  four  or  five 
days,  running  streamy  being  preferred  to  stagnant  pools 
fur  this  pui-pose;  the  outer  black  skin  then  peels  off  very 
readily  and  the  roots  have  suffered  a  kind  of  acetous  ler- 
meiitation  affecting  the  gluten  and  gum,  and  setting  Uqq 
tlie  starcli — of  which  the  bulk  of  the  root  is  compos-^d ; — 
they  now  have  a  strong  disagreeable  ardd  taste  and  flavour, 
but  on  dr}ing  in  the  sun  become  beautifully  white  and 
nearly  tasteless,  and  so  disintegrated  as  to  be  readily 
crushed  between  the  fingers  into  the  finest  flour.  Ihis 
"bomlo"  is  also  eaten  thu.s  dry  or  roasted,  but  most 
usually  it  is  pounded  in  a  wooden  mortar  and  sifted  in  the 
"  uzanzos  "  or  baskets,  into  the  white  flour  called  "  fuba." 
From  this  is  prepared  the  "infundi,"  the  food  most  bked 
by  the  natives,  which  is  made  in  this  way: — into  an  earthen 
])ot  half  full  of  water,  kept  boiling  on  three  stones  over  a 
lire,  the  ''fuba"  is  gradually  added,  and  the^whole  kept 
constantly  stirred  round  with  a  stick ;  when  the  mass 
attains  the  consistency  of  so!t  dough  the  pot  is  taken  off 
the  fire,  and  being  secured  by  the  woman's  toes  if  she  be 
sitting  down,  or  by  her  knees  if  kneeling,  it  is  vigorously 
stirred  with  the  stick  worked  by  both  hands,  lor  some 
minutes  longer,  or  till  it  no  longer  slicks  to  the  side  of 
the  pot.  Portions  of  the  semi-transparent  viscous  mass 
are  then  transferred  with  the  stick  to  a  small  basket  or 
"  quinda,"  dusted  with  dry  "  fuba,"  and  rolled  round  into  a 


MANDIOCA  :■  PREP  ABA  TION.  159 

flat  cake  about  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter  and  a 
couple  of  inches  thick.  It  is  eaten  hot,  bits  of  the  sticky 
cake  being  pulled  out  with  the  fingers  and  dipped  for  a 
flavour  into  a  mess  of  salt  fish,  pork,  or  beans,  or  into  a 
gravy  of  stewed  mandioca  or  bean-leaves,  Chili  pepper 
and  ml.  This  "infundi,"  or  "infungi"  as  it  is  also  pro- 
nounced by  some  of  the  natives,  is  delicious  eating  with 
"palm-chop." 

"  Quiquanfra"  is  also  a  very  important  preparation 
cf  the  mandicca-root,  large  quantities  being  prepared  in 
the  interior  and  brought  down  to  the  coast  for  sale  and  fur 
barter  for  dried  fish,  salt,  &c.  The  fresh  roots  are  placed 
in  water  for  a  few  days,  in  the  same  manner  as  described 
for  *'bomb6,"  and  peeled,  but  instead  of  being  dried  in 
the  sun,  are  transferred  wet  as  they  are  taken  out  of  the 
water  to  the  wooden  mortars,  and  pounded  to  a  homo- 
geneous paste;  this  is  rolled  between  the  hands  irito  long 
flattened  cakes  about  eight  inches  in  length,  or  into  round 
thick  masses.  These  are  rolled  neatly  in  the  large,  strong 
smooth  leaf  of  the  Phrynium  ramcsissimum — a  beautiful 
trailing  plant  with  a  knotted  stem,  growing  very  abun- 
dautl)^  in  moist  and  shady  places, — and  steamed  over  a  pot 
of  boiling  water  carefully  covered  up  to  keep  tlie  f-team 
in,  and  then  left  to  dry  in  the  sun  or  air.  The  cakes  then 
become  fit  to  keep  for  a  long  time,  and  are  of  a  very  close, 
cheesy,  indigestible  character,  with  a  disagreeable  acid 
flavour.  Cut  into  thin  slices  and  toasted,  tlie  ".quiquanga" 
is  not  a  bad  substitute  for  bread  or  biscuit. 

It  is  curious  that  in  the  district  of  Loauda  and  as  far 
south  as  Mossamedes,  the  principal  food  of  the  people 
should  be  a  preparation  of  the  mandioca-root,  which  is 
hardly  ever  used  by  the  natives  of  the  country  from  Am- 
briz  to  the  Eiver  Congo:  this  is  the  meal  called  by  the 
Portuguese  and  Brazilians  "  Farinha  de  pao."  It  is  made 
by  rasping  the  fresh  roots,  previously  peeled,  on  a  grater, 
generally  a  sheet  of  tin-plate  punched  with  holes  or  slits, 
and  nailed  over  a  hole  in  a  board.  The  grated  pulp  is  then 
put  into  bags  and  squeezed  in  a  rude  lever-press  to  extract 
as  much  of  the  juice  as  possible,  and  then  dried  on  large 


ICO  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

round  iron  or  copper  sheets  fitting  on  a  low  circular 
stone  wall,  where  a  wood  fire  is  kept  burning.  When 
thoroughly  dry  it  is  nearly  white,  and  has  the  appearance 
of  coarse  fioury  saw-dust,  and  is  excellent  eating.  Care- 
fully prepared,  it  appears  on  all  Angolan  and  Brazilian 
tables,  and  is  taken  dry  on  the  plate  to  mix  with  the 
gravy  of  stews,  &c.  Scalded  with  boiling  water,  and  mixed 
with  a  little  butter  and  salt,  it  is  very  nice  to  eat  with 
meat,  &c. 

Another  very  favourite  way  of  cooking  it  is  by  boiling 
it  to  a  thick  paste  with  water,  tomatoes,  Chili  pepper, 
and  salt,  with  the  addition  of  some  oil  or  butter  in  wliich 
onions  have  been  fried.  This  is  called  *'pirao,"  and  a 
dish  of  it  appears  at  table  as  regularly  as  potatoes  do 
with  us. 

With  cold  meat,  fish,  &c,,  it  is  also  eaten  raw, 
moistened  with  water,  oil,  vinegar,  pepper,  and  s  dt,  or, 
better  still,  with  orange  or  lemon  juice,  with  pepper  and 
salt.  This  is  called  "farofa,"  and  is  an  excellent  accom- 
paniment to  a  cold  dinner.  The  natives  generally  eat  it 
dry,  or  slightly  moistened  with  water,  and  from  its  being 
carelessly  prepared  it  is  always  very  gritty  with  sand  and 
earth,  and  is  the  cause  of  the  molars  of  the  natives 
being  always  ground  very  flat.  A  negro  never  makes  any 
objection  to  grit  in  his  food.  Fish  is  always  dried  on 
the  sandy  beach ;  mandioca-roots  or  meal,  it'  wet,  are  also 
spread  on  a  clean  bit  of  ground  and  swept  up  again  when 
dry,  and  he  crunches  up  his  always  sandy  food  with  the 
most  perfect  indifference,  his  nervous  system  not  being 
of  a  sufficiently  delicate  character  to  **set  his  teeth  on 
edge  "  during  the  operation,  as  it  would  those  of  a  white 
man. 

Next  to  the  mandioca-root,  as  an  article  of  food  among 
the  blacks,  is  the  small  haricot  bean  ;  these  are  of  various 
colours,  the  ordinary  white  bean  being  scarce.  A  species 
is  much  cultivated,  not  only  for  the  beans,  Mhicli  are 
very  small,  but  also  for  its  long,  thin,  fleshy  pods,  which 
are  excellent  in  their  green  state.  Beans  are  boiled 
in  water,  with  the   addition  of  palm  or  ground-nut  oil 


PEPPER.    BANANAS,  161 

or  other  fat,  salt,  and  Chili  pspper.  The  leaves  of  the 
bean,  mandioca,  or  pumpkin  phmts  are  sometimes  added. 

Chili  pepper  is  the  universal  condiment  of  the  natives 
of  Angola,  and  it  is  only  one  species,  with  a  small  pointed 
fruit  about  half-an-inch  long,  that  is  used.  It  grows  every- 
where in  the  greatest  luxuriance  as  a  fine  bush  loaded 
with  bunches  of  the  pretty  bright  green  and  red  berrie.«. 
It  seems  to  come  up  spontaneously  around  the  huts  and 
villages,  and  is  not  otherwise  planted  or  cultivated.  It 
is  eaten  either  freshly-gathered  or  after  being  dried  in 
the  sun.  It  has  a  most  violent  hot  taste,  but  the  natives 
consume  it  in  incredible  quantities ;  their  stews  are 
generally  of  a  bright-red  colour  from  the  quantity  of  this 
pepper  added,  previously  ground  on  a  hollow  stone  with 
anoiher  smaller  round  one.  Their  cookery  is  mostly  a 
vehicle  for  conveying  this  Chili  pepper,  and  the  "in- 
fundi"  is  dipped  into  it  for  a  flavour. 

Eating  such  quantities  of  this  hot  pepper  often  affects 
the  action  of  the  heart,  and  I  remember  once  having  to 
hire  a  black  to  carry  the  load  of  one  of  my  carriers,  who 
was  unable  to  bear  it  from  strong  palpitation  of  the 
heart,  brought  on  from  the  quantity  of  Chili  pepper  he 
had  eaten  with  his  food. 

In  our  gardtn  at  Bembe  we  grew  some  "Malagueta" 
peppers,  a  variety  w  ith  a  long  pod,  and  perhaps  even 
hotter  than  the  Chilies.  Our  doctor's  cook,  coming  to 
me  once  for  a  supply  of  vegetables,  was  given  a  few  of 
these,  and  commenced  eating  one.  I  asked  him  how  he 
could  bear  to  eat  them  alone?  He  laughed,  and  said 
he  *•  liked  them  with  rum  early  in  the  morning."  To  try 
him,  I  gave  him  a  couple  and  a  glass  of  strong  hollands 
gin,  and  he  coolly  chewed  them  up  and  drank  the  spirit 
without  the  slightest  indication  that  he  felt  the  pungency 
of  the  fiery  mixture.  A  round  and  deliciously-scented 
variety,  bearing  pods  the  "size  of  a  small  marble,  is  also 
grown,  but  is  not  commonly  seen. 

Bananas,  or  plantains,  grow  magnificently,  as  might  be 
expected,  and  without  requiring  the  least  trouble ;  yet, 
such  is  the  stupid  indolence  of  the  natives  that  there  is 

M 


1G2  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

often  a  scarcity  of  tliem.  They  are  principally  grown 
in  valleys  and  other  places,  where  the  rich,  moist  earth  in 
which  they  delight  is  found,  and  where,  protected  by 
palm  and  other  trees,  they  rear  their  magnificent  leaves 
unbroken  by  a  breath  of  air.  A  grove  of  banana-trees 
thus  growing  luxuriantly  in  a  forest  clearing  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  sights  in  nature ; — the  vast  leaves,  re- 
flecting the  rays  of  the  hot  sun  from  their  bright-green 
surface,  contrast  vividly  with  the  dark-hued  foliage  of 
the  trees  around,  and  show  off  the  whorls  of  flowers 
with  their  fleshy,  metallic,  purple-red  envelopes  and  the 
great  bunches  of  green  and  ripe  yellow  fruit.  Numbers 
of  butterHies  flit  about  the  cool  stems  and  moist  earth, 
whilst  the  abundant  flowers  are  surrounded  by  a  busy 
crowd  of  bees  and  other  flies,  and  by  lovely  sunbirds  tiiat, 
poised  on  the  wing  in  the  air,  insert  their  long  curved 
beaks  into  the  petals  in  search  of  the  small  insects  and 
j)erhaps  honey  that  constitute  their  food. 

The  negroes  of  Angola  always  eat  the  banana  raw, 
but  it  is  roasted  by  the  whites  when  green,  when  it  be- 
comes quite  dry  and  a  good  substitute  for  bread,  or 
boiled,  to  eat  with  meat  instead  of  potatoes;  and  when 
ripe,  roasted  whole,  or  cut  lengthways  into  thin  slices  and 
fried  in  batter  and  eaten  ^Yith  a  little  sugar  and  cinnamon 
or  wine,  forming  a  delicious  dish  for  dessert.  A  very 
large  plantain,  growing  as  long  as  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches,  is  cultivated  in  the  interior,  and  is  brought  down 
to  the  coast  by  the  "  Zombos "  with  their  caravans  of 
ivory.  Indian  corn  is  the  only  other  plant  that  is  grown 
and  used  as  food  by  the  negroes  of  Angola,  except  the 
ground-nut  already  described.  It  is  sparingly  cultivated, 
though  bearing  most  productively,  and  is  eaten  in  the 
green  state,  raw  or  roasted,  and  sometimes  boiled.  About 
Loanda  the  dry  grain  is  occasionally  pounded  into  meal 
and  boiled  into  a  stiff  paste  witli  water,  and  eaten  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  "  infundi"  from  the  mandioca-root. 

Other  edible  plants,  though  not  much  cultivated  by 
the  natives,  are  the  sweet  potato ;  the  common  yam 
(which  is  very  rarely  seen,  and  I  am  quite  unable  to  give 


BATS.  163 


a  reason  for  its  not  being  more  commonly  cultivated)  ;  the 
Cajanus  indicus,  a  shrub  bearing  yellow  pea-like  flowers 
and  a  pod  with  a  kind  of  flat  pea,  which  is  very  good 
eating  when  young  and  green ;  the  purple  egg-plant,  or 
"  berenjela  "  of  the  Portuguese ;  the  *'  ngillo  "  (Solanum 
sp.),  bearing  a  round  apple-like  fruit,  used  as  a  vegetable ; 
the  ordinary  pumpkin,  and  a  species  of  small  gourd ; 
and,  lastly,  the  '*quiavo"  or  '*quingomb6"  (Abelmoschus 
esculentus)  of  the  Brazilians. 

The  Ambriz  and  Mushicongo  natives  make  but  little 
use  of  animal  food,  seldom  killing  a  domestic  animal, 
and  of  these  the  pig  is  the  most  esteemed  by  them.  Very 
little  trouble  would  enable  them  to  rear  any  quantity  of 
sheep,  goats,  and  other  live  stock;  but,  such  is  their 
indolence,  that,  as  I  have  already  stated,  these  animals 
are  quite  scarce  in  the  country,  and  are  daily  becoming 
more  so. 

Blacks,  as  a  rule,  seldom  engage  in  the  chase.  Ante- 
lopes, hares,  &c.,  are  only  occasionally  captured  or  shot, 
though  they  are  abundant  in  many  places ;  but  they  are 
very  fond  of  field  rats  and  mice,  though  house  rats  are 
held  in  disgust  as  articles  of  food.  Immediately  after  the 
annual  grass-burnings  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns  turn 
out  with  hoes  and  little  bows  and  arrows  to  dig  out  and 
hunt  tlie  rats  and  mice.  Various  devices  are  also  em- 
ployed to  entrap  them.  A  small  framework  of  sticks, 
about  a  foot  high,  is  raised  across  the  footpaths,  leaving 
small  apertures  or  openings  into  which  the  open  ends  of 
long  funnel-shaped  traps  of  open  flexible  wickerwork  are 
inserted.  Tlie  bushes  are  then  beaten  with  sticks,  and 
the  rats,  frightened  out  of  their  haunts,  rush  along  t!ie 
paths  into  the  traps,  in  which  they  cannot  turn  round, 
and  as  many  as  four  or  five  are  caught  at  a  time  in  each 
(Plate  XI.). 

Another  common  trap  is  made  by  firmly  fixing  in 
the  ground  one  end  of  a  strong  stick,  and  bending  down 
the  other  end,  to  which  is  attached  a  noose  inserted  in 
a  small  basket-trap,  and  so  arranged  as  to  disengage  the 
bow  and  catch  the  unlucky  rat  round  the  throat  and 

M  2 


1G4  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lUVER  CONGO. 

strangle  it  as  soon  as  it  touches  the  bait.  The  rats,  as 
soon  as  killed,  are  skewered  from  head  to  tail  on  a  long 
bit  of  stick,  and  roasted  over  a  fire  in  their  "jackets" 
whole,  without  any  cleaning  or  other  preparation,  generally 
five  on  each  skewer. 

Frogs  are  only  eaten  by  the  Mushicongos.  They  are 
also  very  fond  of  grasshoppers,  which  are  beaten  down 
with  a  flapper,  like  a  battledore,  made  out  of  a  palm-leaf, 
their  legs  and  wings  pulled  off,  and  roasted  in  a  pot  or 
crock  over  a  fire;  they  smell  exactly  like  stale  dry 
shrimps. 

A  large  king  cricket  {Brachytrypes  acliaiinus)  is  greatly 
relished  everywhere,  and  the  blacks  are  wonderfnlly  clever 
at  finding  the  exact  spot  where  one  is  chirping  in  the 
ground,  and  digging  it  out  from  perhaps  the  depth  of  a 
foot  or  more.  It  is  incredible  how  puzzling  it  is  to  dis- 
cover the  exact  place  from  whence  the  loud  chirp  of  this 
insect  proceeds. 

A  large  white  grub  or  larva,  the  interior  of  which  is 
very  streaky  in  appearance,  and  which  is  roasted  and  eaten 
spread  on  a  cake  of  "  infundi  "  as  we  should  spread  marrow 
on  a  slice  of  toast,  is  considered  a  great  delicacy,  as  also  is 
a  very  large  yellow  caterpillar.  I  have  seen,  when  travel- 
ling, all  the  blacks  of  my  party  suddenly  rush  off  with  the 
greatest  delight  to  a  shrub  covered  with  these  caterpillars, 
which  they  eagerly  collected  to  eat  in  the  same  way  as 
the  grubs  I  have  just  described. 

The  "salale,"  or  white  ant,  is  eaten  by  the  natives  ot 
Angola  when  it  is  in  its  perfect  or  winged  state ;  they  are 
captured  by  hand  as  they  issue  from  holes  in  the  ground, 
stewed  with  oil,  salt,  and  Chili  pepper,  and  used  as  a 
sauce  or  gravy  with  Avhich  to  eat  the  '*  infundi."  They 
have  a  very  sharp  taste,  from  the  formic  acid  contained  in 
them. 

'J' he  natives  of  Angola  manufacture  but  one  kind  of 
drink,  called  "uallua"  in  the  district  of  Ambriz,  and 
**garapa"  in  the  rest  of  Angola.  It  is  a  sort  of  beer, 
prepared  from  Indian  corn  and  "  bala,"  or  dry  mandioca 
root.     The  Indian  corn  is  first  soaked  in  water  for  a  few 


NATIVE  BEER.  165 


days,  or  until  it  germinates ;  it  is  then  taken  out  and  ^ 
thinly  spread  on  clean  banana  leaves,  and  placed  on  the 
ground  in  the  shade,  where  it  is  left  for  two  or  three 
days;  at  the  end  of  that  time  it  has  become  a  cake  or 
mass  of  roots  and  sprouts;  it  is  then  broken  up  and 
exposed  in  the  hot  sun  till  it  is  quite  dry,  then  pounded 
in  wooden  mortars  and  sifted  into  fine  flour;  the  dry 
mandicjca  roots  are  also  pounded  fine  and  mixed  in 
equal  parts  with  the  Indian  corn.  This  mixture  is  now 
introduced  in  certain  proportions,  into  hot  water,  and 
boiled  until  a  thick  froth  or  scum  rises  to  the  surface. 
Large  earthen  pots,  called  '**sangas,"  are  filled  with  this 
boiled  liquor,  which  when  cold  is  strained  through  a  closely 
woven  straw  bag  or  cloth,  and  allowed  to  stand  for  one 
night,  when  it  ferments  and  is  ready  for  use.  It  is  slightly 
milky  in  appearance,  and  when  frei>hly  made  is  sweetish 
and  not  disagreeable  in  taste,  but  with  the  progress  of 
fermentation  becomes  acid  and  intoxicating.  The  ra- 
tionale of  the  process  of  making  "  garapa  "  is  the  same  as 
that  of  the  manufacture  of  beer.  The  germination  of  the 
Indian  corn,  in  which  part  of  its  starch  is  changed  into 
sugar  with  the  production  of  diastase,  and  the  arrest  of 
this  process  by  drying,  corresponds  to  the  '^  malting,"  and 
the  boiling  in  water  with  mandioca  flour  to  the  *•  mashing;" 
the  diastase  acting  on  the  starch  of  the  mandioca  root, 
transforms  it  into  sugar,  which  in  its  turn  is  fermented 
into  alcohol,  rendering  the  "garapa"  intoxicating,  and 
ultimately  becoming  acid,  or  sour,  from  its  passing  to  the 
state  of  acetous  fermentation. 

The  "quindas"  or  baskets,  used  by  the  natives  of 
Angola,  are  of  various  sizes  and  all  conical  in  shape. 
They  are  made  of  straw,  but  are  not  woven.  A  kind  of 
thin  rope  is  made  by  covering  a  quantity  of  straight 
straws  or  dry  grass  stems,  about  the  thickness  of  an  ordi- 
nary lead  pencil,  with  a  flat  grass,  or  strips  of  palm  leaf, 
and  the  basket  is  built  up  by  twisting  this  rope  round 
and  round,  and  tightly  sewing  it  together.  A  coarser 
kind  is  made  at  Loanda  for  carrying  earth  or  rubbish. 
It  is  very  curious  that  no  other  form  of  basket  should  be 


166  ANGOLA  AND  TBE  BIVER  CONGO. 

made  in  the  country,  and  when  a  cover  is  required, 
another  basket  inverted  is  employed. 

The  "louiigos,"  or  "h:>Miid()s"  are  laro:e  mats  about  four 
to  five  feet  long,  and  from  two  to  four  wide;  they  are 
made  of  the  dry  straii>ht  flattened  stems  of  the  papyrus 
phmt  {Papyrus  antiquorum),  and  like  the  baskets  are  also 
not  woven  or  plaited,  but  the  stems  are  passed  throu<:h  or 
sewn  across  at  several  places  with  fine  string  made  of 
Baobab  fibre.  These  mats  are  stiflt',  but  at  the  same  time 
thick  and  soft;  they  are  used  lor  a  variety  of  useful 
purposes,  such  as  for  fencin<r,  for  lying  or  sitting  upon, 
and  for  placing  on  the  ground  on  which  to  spread  roots, 
corn,  &c.,  to  dry  in  the  sun,  but  principally  to  line  or 
cover  huts  and  houses.  The  papyrus  grows  most  luxu- 
riantly in  all  the  pools,  marshes,  and  wet  places  of 
xingola,  and  in  many  parts  lines  the  banks  of  the  rivers. 
I  have  seen  it  growing  everywhere,  from  a  few  hundred 
yards  distance  from  the  sea,  to  as  far  in  the  interior  as  I 
have  been.  It  is  always  of  the  brightest  bluish-grey 
green,  and  the  long,  graceful,  smooth  stalk  surmounted  by 
the  lar^e  feathery  head,  waving  in  every  breath  of  wind, 
makes  it  a  beautiful  object.  It  often  covers  a  large  extent 
of  ground  in  low  places,  particularly  near  rivers,  to  the 
exclusion  of  any  other  plant,  and  forms  then  a  most  lovely 
cool  patch  of  colour  in  the  landscape,  and  hides  numbers 
of  happy  water  birds  which,  unmolested,  boom  and  churrr 
and  tweet  in  its  welcome  shade. 

Very  curious  are  the  sounds  that  issue  in  the  stillness 
of  the  night  from  these  papyrus  covered  fields,  principally 
from  difi'erent  species  of  water-fowl,  and  I  have  often  re- 
mained awake  for  hours  listening  to  the  weird  trumpetings, 
guttural  noises  and  whistlings  of  all  kinds,  joined  to  the 
croak  of  frogs  and  the  continual,  perfectly  metallic,  ting, 
ting,  ting — like  the  ring  of  thousands  of  tiny  iron  ham- 
mers on  steel  anvils — said  to  be  made  by  a  small  species 
of  frog. 

Nothing  gives  sueh  an  idea  of  the  wonderful  multiplicity 
of  bird  or  insect  life  in  tropical  Africa,  as  the  number 
and  variety  of  sounds  to  be  heard  at  night.     Every  square 


i 


STEANOE  SOUNDS.  1(37 

foot  of  ground>or  marsh,  every  tree,  bnsli,  or  plant,  seems 
to  give  out  a  buzz,  cliirp,  or  louder  noise  of  some  sort. 
With  the  fii-st  streak  of  daylight  these  noises  are  suddenly- 
hushed,  to  be  quickly  succeeded  by  the  various  glad  notes 
of  the  awakened  birds,  and  later  on,  wlien  the  sun's  rays 
are  clear  and  hot,  the  air  is  filled  with  the  powerful  whirr 
of  the  cicads  on  every  tree. 

The  "  uziinzos  "  are  a  kind  of  sieve  in  the  form  of  an 
openwork  basket,  rather  prettily  and  neatly  made  of 
tlie  thin  and  split  midrib  of  the  palm  leaflets,  in  which 
the  women  sift  mandioca,  Indian  corn,  or  \vhatever  else 
tliey  may  pound  into  meal  in  their  wooden  mortars. 
These  latter  are  '*uzus,"  and  the  long  wooden  pestles 
employed  with  them  are  termed  *'  muinzus  "  (PLite  XII.) 

These  mortars  are  made  of  soft  wood,  mostly  of  the 
cotton  wood  tree,  which  is  easily  cut  with  a  knife ;  for 
scooping  out  the  interior  of  the  mortars  the  natives  use  a 
tool  made  by  bending  round  about  an  inch  of  the  point  of 
iin  ordinary  knife,  which  they  then  call  a  "  locombo." 

The  last  article  to  be  described,  in  daily  use  amongst 

the  natives  of  Angola,  is  a   small  wooden  dish,  which  is 

more  rarely  made  now  owing  to  the  large  quantity  of 

earthenware  plates  and  bowls  that  have  been  introduced 

jhy  the  traders  on  the  coast.     These  dishes  are  invariably 

lade  square  in  shape  (Plate  XIV.). 


(    168    ) 


CHAPTER  X. 

COUNTRY  FROM  AMBRIZ  TO  LOANDA  —  MOSSULO  —  LI- 
BONGO —  BITUMEN  —  RIVER  DANDE  —  RIVER  BENGO  — 
QUIFANDONGO. 

The  distance  from  Ambriz  to  Loanda  is  about  sixty  miles, 
and  tlie  greater  part  of  the  country  is  called  Mossulo,  from 
being  inhabited  by  a  tribe  of  that  name.  These  natives 
have  not  yet  been  reduced  to  obedience  by  the  Portuguese, 
not  from  any  warlike  or  valorous  opposition  on  their  part, 
but  entirely  from  the  miserable  want  of  energy  of  the 
latter  iti  not  taking  the  few  wretched  towns  on  the  road. 
Incredible  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that 
to  the  present  day  the  Mossulos  will  not  allow  a  white 
man  to  pass  overland  from  Li  bongo  (about  half-way  from 
Loanda)  to  Ambriz,  although  this  last  place  was  occupied 
in  1855,  and  several  expeditions  have  since  been  sent  to 
and  from  Ambriz  to  Bembe  and  San  Salvador.  Nothing 
could  have  been  easier  than  for  one  of  these  to  have  passed 
through  the  Mossulo  country  and  to  have  occupied  it,  at 
once  doing  away  with  the  reproach  of  allowing  a  mean 
tribe  to  bar  a  few  miles  of  road  almost  at  the  gates  of 
Lo  inda,  the  capital  of  Angola. 

One  of  these  expeditions,  on  its  return  from  chastising 
the  natives  of  a  town  on  the  road  to  Bembe  for  robbery, 
was  actually  sent  to  Loanda  by  road.  The  Governor- 
General  (Amaral)  was  then  at  Ambriz,  and  being  unac- 
qOainted  with  the  negro  character,  and  having  mistaken 
humanitarian  ideas,  gave  strict  orders  that  the  natives  of 
Mossulo,  who  had  committed  several  acts  of  violence, 
should  not  be  punishe J,  but  that  sjieeches  should  be  made 
to  them  warning  them  of  iuture  retribution  if  they  con- 
tinued to  misconduct  themselves.     Their  towns  and  pro- 


AMBFilZ  TO  LOANDA:  COUNTRY.  1G9 

perty  were  not  toncbecl,  nor  were  hostages  or  other  security 
exacted  for  their  future  good  conduct. 

The  natural  consequence  was  that  this  clemency  was 
ascribed  by  the  natives  to  weakness,  and  that  the  Portu- 
guese were  afraid  of  their  power,  as  not  a  liut  had  been 
burnt,  a  root  touched,  or  a  fowl  killed,  and  they  conse- 
quently, in  order  to  give  the  white  men  an  idea  of  their 
power  and  invincibility,  attacked  some  American  and 
Euglish  factories  at  Mossulo  Bay,  the,  white  men  there 
having  the  greatest  difficulty  to  save  their  lives  and  pro- 
perty ;  a  Portuguese  man-of-war  landed  some  men,  and  so 
enabled  tije  traders  to  get  their  goods  shipped,  but  the 
factories  were  burnt  to  the  ground.  This  was  in  Septem- 
ber, 1859. 

I  was  at  Ambriz  when  the  expedition  started,  so  I  de- 
termined to  join  it,  and  examine  the  country  to  Loanda. 

Tlie  expedition  consisted  of  150  Portuguese  and  black 
soldiers,  and  as  many  armed  '^Libertos,"  or  slaves,  who 
are  freemen  after  having  served  the  Government  ibr  seven 
years  ;  these  "Libertos"  dragged  a  light  six-pounder  gun. 
The  commander  was  Major  (now  General)  Gamboa,  an 
officer  who  had  seen  upwards  of  twenty  years  service  in 
MofJimbique  and  Angola,  and  to  whom  I  was  indebted  for 
great  fiiendship  during  the  whole  time  I  was  in  the  country. 
The  major  and  two  officers  rode  horses ;  tw^o  others  and 
myself  were  carried  in  hammocks.  We  started  one  after- 
noon and  halted  at  a  small  village  consisting  of  only  a  few 
huts,  at  about  six  miles  south  of  Ambriz.  There  we  supped 
and  slept,  and  started  next  morning  at  daybreak.  The 
start  did  not  occupy  much  time,  as  tlie  Portuguese  troops 
and  officers  in  Angola  do  not  make  use  of  tents  when  on 
the  march,  and  their  not  doing  so  is  undoubtedly  the  cause 
of  a  good  deal  of  the  sickness  and  discomfort  they  suffer. 
In  the  evening  we  arrived  at  the  Bay  of  Mossulo,  where 
we  were  hospitably  entertained  by  the  English  and  Ameri- 
can traders  there  established. 

The  country  we  passed  through  on  our  march  was  of 
that  strange  character  that  I  have  described  as  occurring 
in  the  littoral  region  of  Ambriz.     In  the  thickets  dotted 


170  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

over  the  country  a  jasmine  {Corissa  Sjp.)  is  a  principal 
plant.  It  grows  as  a  large  bush  covered  with  long  rigid 
spines,  and  bears  bunches  of  rather  small  white  flowers 
having  the  scent  of  the  usual  jasmine.  Also  growing  in 
these  thickets,  and  very  often  over  this  species,  are  two 
creeping  jasmines — the  *•  Jasminum  auriculatum  "  (/.  tet- 
tensis  f  Kl),  and  '-  Jasminum  multipartitum  ?  " 

Various  kinds  of  birds  abounded,  principally  doves 
and  the  beautiful  purple  starlings,  and  on  the  ground 
small  flocks  (I'rom  two  to  four  or  five)  of  the  bustards 
Otis  rnficrista  and  Otis  picturata  were  not  uncommon, 
appearing  in  the  distance  like  snakes,  their  heads  alone 
being  visible  over  the  tops  of  the  short  rough  grass  as  they 
ran  along.  '  A  small  hare  is  found  in  abundance,  and  also 
several  species  of  ducks  in  some  small  marshes  near  Great 
Mossulo.  Of  larger  game  only  some  small  kinds  of  ante- 
lope are  found. 

1  had  gone  on  some  distance  ahead  of  the  troops,  and 
on  approaching  one  large  town,  about  a  dozen  natives  armed 
with  muskets  stopped  my  hammock,  and  told  me  I  must 
return  to  Ambriz,  as  no  white  man  could  be  allowed  to 
pass.  I  told  them  that  the  soldiers  were  close  behind, 
•and  that  resistance  would  be  useless,  as  their  town  would 
be  taken  and  burnt  if  they  attempted  any  ;  they,  however, 
still  persisted  in  not  letting  me  go  forward,  so  I  had  to 
wait  for  a  few  minutes  till  they  saw  Major  Garnboa  and 
the  two  officers  approaching  on  horseback,  when  they 
scampered  off  into  the  bush  without  even  saying  good-bye, 
and  on  our  entering  the  town  we  found  it  deserted  save 
by  the  king  and  a  few  other  old  men,  who  were  all  humility, 
and  protested  that  they  would  never  more  insult  or  ill- 
treat  white  men. 

*  Major  Gamboa  was  perfectly  convinced  of  the  useless- 
ness  of  only  talking  to  blacks,  his  intimate  knowledge  of 
them  telling  him  that  the  only  safe  plan  would  have  been 
to  have  burnt  the  towns  on  the  road  and  taken  the  king 
and  old  men  to  Loanda  as  hostages,  but  he  had  to  obey 
his  instructions,  and  the  result  was  that  thoy  attacked 
the  factories  and  killed  a  number  of  natives.     The  Portu- 


LIB  ON  GO.  171 


guese,  however,  instead  of  punishin.2^  this  outrage,  tamely 
pocketed  the  affront,  and  left  the  Mossulos  in  undisputed 
possession  of  the  road. 

In  these  towns  were  the  largest  *•  fetish  "  houses  I  have 
sfeen  in  Angola.  One  "was  a  large  hut  built  of  mud,  the 
walls  plastered  with  white,  and  painted  all  over  inside  and 
out  with  grotesque  drawings,  in  black  and  red,  of  men  and 
animals.  Inside  were  three  life-size  figures  very  roughly 
modelled  in  clay,  and  of  the  most  indecent  description.  Be- 
hind this  hut  was  a  long  court  the  width  of  the  length  of  the 
hut,  enclosed  with  walls  about,  six  feet  high.  A  number  of 
figures  similar  in  character  to  those  in  the  hut  were  stand- 
ing in  this  court,  which  was  kept  quite  <;lean  and  bare  of 
grass.  What,  if  any,  were  the  uses  to  which  these  "  fetish  " 
houses  were  applied  I  could  not  exactly  ascertain.  I  do 
not  believe  that  they  are  used  for  any  ceremonials,  but 
that  the  "  fetishes  "  or  spirits  are  supposed  to  live  in  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  *'  fetish  "  houses  in  the 
towns  in  the  Ambriz  and  Bembe  country.  At  one  of  the 
towns  we  saw  a  number  of  the  natives  running  away 
into  the  bush  in  the  distance,  carrying  on  their  backs 
several  of  the  dead  dry  bodies  of  their  relatives.  I 
hunted  in  all  the  huts  to  find  a  dry  corpse  to  take  away 
as  a  specimen,  but  without  success;  they  had  all  been 
removed. 

Next  day  we  continued  our  journey,  and  bivouacked  on 
the  sea  shore,  not  very  far  from  Libongo,  and  near  the 
large  town  of  Quiembe. 

On  the  beach  we  found  the  dead  trunk  of  a  large  tree 
that  had  evidently  been  cast  ashore  by  the  waves,  and  had 
been  considered  a  "fetish;"  for  what  reason,  in  this  case, 
I  know  not,  as  trees  stranded  in  this  way  are  common.  It 
was  hung  all  over  with  strips  of  cloth  and  rags  of  all  kinds, 
shells,  &c.  As  it  was  dry,  it  was  quickly  chopped  up  for 
firewood  by  the  soldiers  and  blacks. 

The  following  morning  our  road  lay  along  the  beach 
till  we  reached  the  dry  mouth  of  the  River  Lifune,  a 
small  stream  that  only  runs  during  the  rainy  season.  We 
then  struck  due  inland  for  about  three  miles  to  reach  the 


172  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 

Portuguese  post  of  Libongo,  consisting  of  a  small  force 
commanded  by  a  lieutenant.  This  officer  (Loforte)  I  had 
known  at  Bern  be,  and  he  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome. 

The  *'  Resideucia,"  or  residence  of  the  "  Chefe,"  as  the 
commandants  are  called,  was  a  large  rambling  old  house 
of  only  one  floor,  and  it  contained  the  greatest  number  of 
rats  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  any  one  place. 

One  large  room  was  assigned  to  the  use  of  Major  Gamboa, 
two  officers,  and  myself,  a  bed  being  made  in  each  corner 
of  the  room.  We  had  taken  the  precaution  of  leaving  the 
candle  burning  on  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  but 
we  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  we  began  to  hear  lively 
squeaks  and  rustlings  that  seemed  to  come  from  walls, 
roof,  and  floor.  In  a  few  minutes  the  rats  issued  boldly 
from  all  parts,  running  down  the  walls  and  dropping  in 
numbers  from  the  roof  on  to  the  beds,  and  attacking  the 
candle.  We  shouted,  and  threw  our  boots,  sticks,  and 
everything  else  that  was  available  at  them,  but  it  was  of 
no  use,  and  we  could  hardly  save  the  candle.  It  was  use- 
less to  think  of  sleep  under  these  circumstances,  for  we 
considered  that  if  the  rats  were  so  bold  with  a  light  in  the 
room,  they  would  no  doubt  eat  us  up  alive  in  the  dark,  so 
we  dressed  ourselves,  and  pitched  our  hammocks  in  the 
open  air,  under  some  magniticent  tamarind-trees,  and  there 
slept  in  comfort. 

Libongo  is  celebrated  for  its  mineral  pitch,  which  was 
formerly  much  nsed  at  Loanda  for  tarring  ships  and  boats. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  district  used  to  pay  their  dues  or 
taxes  to  government  in  this  pitch.  It  is  not  collected  at 
the  present  time,  but  I  do  not  know  the  reason  why. 

I  was  curious  to  see  the  locality  in  which  it  was  found, 
as  it  had  not  been  visited  before  by  a  white  man,  so  Lieu- 
tenant Loforte  supplied  me  with  an  old  man  as  guide,  and 
Major  Gamboa  and  myself  started  one  morning  at  daybreak. 

\Ve  had  been  told  that  we  might  reach  the  place  and 
return  in  good  time  for  dinner  in  the  evening,  and  con- 
sequently only  provided  a  small  basket  of  provisions  for 
breakfast  and  lunch  we  travelled  about  six  miles,  and 
reached  a  place   M'here  we  found   half-a-dozen  huts '  of 


BITUMEN.  173 


blacks  belonging  to  Libongo,  engaged  in  their  mandioca 
plantations.  These  tried  hard  to  dissuade  us  from  pro- 
ceeding farther,  saying  that  we  sliould  only  reach  the 
pitch  springs  next  morning.  I,  of  course,  decided  to  pro- 
ceed, but  Major  Gamboa,  who  did  not  take  the  interest  in 
the  exploration  that  I  did,  determined  to  return  to  break- 
fast at  Libongo  at  once,  leaving  me  the  provisions  for  my 
supposed  two  days'  journey. 

After  a  short  rest  I  started  off  again,  and  about  mid-day 
arrived  at  the  place  I  was  in  search  of.  It  was  the  head 
of  a  small  valley  or  gully,  worn  by  the  waters  from  the 
plain  on  their  way  to  the  sea,  which  was  not  far  off,  as 
although  it  could  not  be  seen  from  where  I  stood,  the  roll 
of  the  surf  on  the  beach  could  just  be  heard.  It  must  have 
been  close  inland  to  the  place  where  we  had  bivouacked  a  few 
nights  before,  and  had  burnt  the  "  fetish  "  tree  for  firewood. 

The  rock  was  a  friable  tine  sandstone,  so  impregnated 
with  the  bitumen  or  pitch,  that  it  oozed  out  from  the 
sides  of  the  horizontal  beds  and  formed  little  cakes  on  the 
steps  or  ledges,  from  an  ounce  or  two  in  weight  to  masses 
of  a  couple  of  pounds  or  more. 

Although  it  was  very  interesting  to  see  a  rock  so  impreg- 
nated witli  pitch  as  to  melt  out  with  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
I  was  disappointed,  as  from  the  reports  of  the  natives 
I  had  been  led  to  believe  that  it  was  a  regular  spring  or 
lake.  My  guide  was  most  anxious  that  I  should  return, 
and  as  I  was  preparing  to  shoot  a  bird,  begged  me  not  to 
fire  my  gun  and  attract  the  attention  of  the  natives  of 
the  town  of  Quiengue,  close  by,  whom  we  could  hear 
beating  drums  and  firing  off  muskets.  Next  day  we  knew 
at  Libongo  that  these  demonstrations  had  been  for  the 
purpose  of  calling  together  the  natives,  to  attack  the 
factories  at  Mossulo  Bay. 

There  was  great  talk  at  Loanda  about  sending  an  expe- 
dition to  punish  these  natives,  but,  as  usual,  it  ended  in 
smoke,  and  no  white  man  has  since  been  allowed  to  pass 
through  the  Mossulo  country. 

Several  years  after,  the  King  of  Mossulo  sent  an  embassy 
to  me  at  Ambriz,  begging  me  to  open  a  factory  at  Mossulo. 


174  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO 

On  condition  that  I,  or  any  white  man  in  my  employ,  slioukl 
be  free  to  pass  backwards  and  forwards  from  Loanda  to 
Ambriz,  I  promised  to  do  so,  and  was  taken  to  the  king's 
town  at  Mossulo,  where  it  was  all  arranged.  I  did  not 
believe  *tliem,  of  course,  but  I  gave  a  few  fathoms  of  cloth 
and  other  goods  that  they  might  build  me  a  hut  on  the 
cliff  at  Mossulo  Bay,  which  they  did,  and  I  tlien  declared 
myself  ready  to  send  a  clerk  with  goods  to  commence 
trading,  as  soon  as  they  should  send  me  hammock-boys  to 
carry  me  to  Loanda.  As  I  expected,  they  never  sent  them, 
and  for  several  years,  whilst  the  hut  on  the  cliff  lasted,  it 
served  as  a  capital  landmark  to  tlie  steamers  and  ships  on 
the  coast.  The  Governor-General  at  Loanda,  to  prevent 
traders  from  establishing  factories  at  IMossulo  Grande, 
warned  us  at  Ambriz  that  if  we  did  so  we  must  take  all 
risks,  that  he  would  not  only  not  protect  us,  but  that  all 
goods  for  trading  at  Mossulo  would  have  to  be  entered  and 
cleared  at  the  Loanda  custom-house.  Far  from  such  dis- 
graceful pusillanimity  being  censured  at  Loanda,  it  was, 
with  few  exceptions,  considered  by  the  Portuguese  there 
as  a  very  praiseworthy  measure. 

The  rock  of  the  country  at  Libongo  is  a  black  shale ; 
also  strongly  impregnated  with  bitumen.  A  Portuguese 
at  Loanda,  believing  that  this  circumstance  indicated  coal 
in  depth,  sunk  a  shaft  some  few  fathoms  in  this  shale,  and 
I  visited  the  spot  to  see  if  any  organic  remains  were  to  be 
found  in  the  rock  extracted,  but  could  not  discover  any. 
About  half  way  from  Libongo  to  the  place  where  1  saw 
the  bituminous  sandstone  formation,  I  observed  a  well- 
defined  rocky  ridge  of  quartz  running  about  East  and  West, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  irrupted  through  the  shale. 

The  ground  about  Libongo  is  evidently  very  fertile,  the 
mandioca  and  other  plantations  being  most  luxuriant,  and 
I  particularly  noticed  some  very  fine  sugar-cane.  Some 
of  the  tamarind-trees  were  extremely  fine,  and  on  the  stem 
of  a  very  large  one  a  couple  of  the  *•'  engonguis,"  or  double 
bells,  were  nailed,  which  had  belonged  to  the  former  native 
town  there,  and  as  they  ape  considered  **' fetish,"  no  black 
would  steal  or  touch  them. 


THE  lUVERS  DANDE  AND  BEN  GO.  175 

A  few  hours  journey  (or  about  fifteen  miles)  to  the 
south  of  Libongo  is  the  Kiver  Dande,  navigable  only  by 
large  barges,  and  draining  a  fertile  country. 

It  is  only  within  the  last  two  years  that  the  value  of 
this  river,  lor  trading  or  produce,  has  attracted  attention 
at  Loanda,  and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  it  was  owing  to  two 
foreign  houses  that  trading  was  commenced  there  on  any- 
thing like  a  respectable  scale.  The  interior  is  rich  in 
coffee,  gum-copal,  ground-nuts,  and  india-rubber,  and 
this  country  promises  an  important  future ;  cattle  thrive 
here,  and  Loanda  is  now  supplied  with  a  small  quantity 
of  excellent  butter  and  cream  cheese  from  some  herds  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  river  near  the  bar. 

Limestone  is  also  burnt  into  lime,  which  is  sold  at  a 
good  price  at  Loanda,  and  were  the  Portuguese  and 
natives  more  enterprising  and  industrious,  the  banks  of 
the  river  would  be  covered  with  valuable  gardens  and 
plantations ;  but  apathy  reigns  supreme,  and  the  authori- 
ties at  Loanda  prevent  any  attempt  to  get  out  of  this  state 
by  the  ok^tructions  of  all  kinds  of  petty  and  harassing  im- 
posts, rules,  and  regulations,  having  no  possible  aim  but 
the  collection  of  a  despicable  amount  of  fees  to  keep  alive 
and  in  idleness  a  few  miserable  officials. 

The  country  is  comparatively  level,  and  calls  for  no 
particular  description,  till  about  eighteen  miles  southward 
the  high  and  bold  cliff  of  Point  Lagostas  (Point  Lobsters) 
marks  the  bay  into  ^hich  runs  the  beautiful  little  river 
Bengo,  or  Zenza,  as  it  is  called  farther  inland. 

This  is  even  a  smaller  river  than  the  Dande,  though 
more  important  from  its  near  proximity  to  Loanda,  and  the 
remarks  as  to  the  wonderful  indifference  and  hindrance 
to  the  development  of  the  Kiver  Dande,  apply  with  still 
greater  force  to  the  Bengo,  a  very  mine  of  wealth  at  the 
doors  of  Loanda !  It  is  hardly  possible  to  restrain  within 
reasonable  limit's  the  expression  of  surprise  at  the  fact 
that  Loanda,  with  its  thousands  of  inhabitants,  should  be 
still  destitute  of  a  good  supply  of  drinking  water,  when 
there  is  a  river  of  splendid  water  only  nine  miles  off, 
whence  it  receives  an  insignificant  and  totally  inadequate 


170  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

supply  brouglit  in  casks  only,  carried  by  a  few  rotten 
barges  and  canoes  that  are  often  prevented  from  leaving 
or  entering  the  river  for  days  together,  on  account  of  the 
surf  at  the  bar.  A  small  cask  of  Bengo  water,  holding 
about  six  gallons,  costs  from  twopence  to  fourpence !  All 
kinds  of  fruit  and  vegetables  grow  luxuriantly  on  the  banks 
of  the  Bengo,  and  yet  Loanda,  where  nothing  can  grow 
from  its  sandy  and  arid  soil,  is  almost  unprovided  with 
either — a  few  heads  of  salad  or  cabbage,  or  a  few  turnips 
and  carrots  being  there  considered  a  fine  present. 

At  Point  Lagostas  a  good  deal  of  gypsum  is  found,  and 
also  specimens  of  native  sulphur. 

Both  the  Eiver  Bengo  and  the  Kiver  Dande  are  greatly 
infested  by  alligators,  and  a  curious  idea  prevails  amongst 
all  the  natives  of  Angola,  that  the  liver  of  the  alligator  is 
a  deadly  poison,  and  that  it  is  employed  as  such  by  the 
'* feitieeiros "  or  ''fetish"  men. 

The  Manatee  is  also  not  uncommon  in  these  rivers ; — 
this  curious  mammal  is  called  by  the  Portuguese  "  Peixe 
mulher"  or  woman  fish,  from  its  breasts  being  said  to 
resemble  those  of  a  woman.  Near  the  mouth  of  the 
Dande  this  animal  is  sometimes  captured  by  enclosing  a 
space,  during  the  high  tides,  with  a  strong  rope  net  made 
of  baobab  fibre,  so  that  when  the  tide  falls  it  is  stranded 
and  easily  killed.  I  was  never  so  fortunate  as  to  see  one  of 
these  animals,  and  am  therefore  unable  to  describe  it  from 
personal  observation,  but  it  is  said  to  be  most  like  a 
gigantic  seal.  I  once  saw  a  quantity  of  the  flesh  in  a 
canoe  on  the  Eiver  Quanza,  and  was  told  that  the  greater 
part  had  been  already  sold,  and  I  had  given  me  a  couple 
of  strips  of  the  hide  of  one  that  had  been  shot  in  the 
Kiver  Loge  at  Ambriz.  These  strips  are  about  seven  feet 
long  and  half-an-inch  thick,  of  a  yellowish  colour,  and 
semi-transparent.  They  are  used  as  whips,  being  smootli 
and  exceedingly  tough.  The  flesh  is  good  eating,  though 
of  no  particular  flavour,  and  is  greatly  liked  by  the  natives. 

The  marshes  and  lagoons  about  the  Kiver  Bengo  are 
full  of  wild  duck  and  other  water-fowl,  and  are  favourite 
sporting  places  of  the  officers  of  the  English  men-of-war 


QUIFANDONOO.  177 


when  at  Loanda.  The  Portuguese,  not  having  the  lovo 
of  sport  greatly  developed,  seldom  make  excursions  to 
them. 

The  country  from  tlie  Bengo  to  Loanda  rises  suddenlj', 
and  the  coast  line  is  high  and  bold,  but  the  soil  is  very 
arid  and  sandy,  the  rocks  being  arenaceous,  evidently  of 
recent  formation,  and  full  of  casts  of  shells. 

There  is  much  admixture  of  oxide  of  iron,  and  some  of 
the  sandy  cliffs  and  dunes  close  to  Loanda  are  of  a  beautiful 
red  from  it.  The  vegetation  is,  as  might  be  expected,  of  a 
sterile  character,  being  principally  coarse  grass,  the  San- 
seviera  Angolensis,  a  few  shrubs,  euphorbias,  and  a  great 
number  of  giant  baobabs.  Though  the  vegetation  is  com- 
paratively scarce,  birds  of  several  species  are  common ;  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  doves  are  especially  abundant,  as  are  several 
of  the  splendidly  coloured  starlings ;  kingfishers  are  very 
common,  and  remarkable  for  their  habit  of  choosing  a 
high  and  bare  branch  of  a  tree  to  settle  on,  from  whence, 
in  the  hottest  part  of  the  day,  they  incessantly  utter  their 
loud  and  plaintive  whistle,  and,  after  darting  down  on  the 
grasshoppers  and  other  insect  prey,  return  again  to  the 
same  branch. 

The  exquisitely  coloured  roller  (Coraeias  caudata)  is  also 
very  common  in  the  arid  country  surrounding  Loanda. 

The  pretty  runners  (Cursorius  Senegalends,  and  G,  hisig- 
natuSj  n.  sp.)  are  also  seen  in  little  flocks  on  the  sandy 
plains,  and  are  most  elegant  in  their  carriage  as  they  swiftly 
run  along  the  ground.  Two  or  three  species  of  bustards 
are  also  common. 

The  great  road  from  the  interior  skirt.':  the  River  Bengo 
for  some  miles  to  the  bar,  where  it  turns  south  to  Loanda, 
and  the  last  resting  or  sleeping  place  for  the  natives  carry- 
ing produce,  is  at  a  place  called  Quifandongo,  consisting  of 
a  row  of  grog  shops  and  huts  on  either  side  of  the  road. 

It  is  a  curious  sight  to  see  hundreds  of  carriers  from  the 
interior  lying  down  on  the  ground  in  the  open  air,  each 
asleep  with  his  load  by  his  side.  A  march  of  two  hours 
brings  them  to  a  slope  leading  down  to  the  bay,  at  the 
end  of  which  Loanda  is  built. 


(    178    ) 


CHAPTEK  XL 

CITY     OP     LOANDA  —  NATIVES  —  SLAVERY  —  CONVICTS  — 
THEATRE   AND   MORALS. 

The  city  of  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  is  situated  in  a  beautiful 
bay,  backed  by  a  line  of  low,  sandy  cliff  that  at  its  southern 
end  sweeps  outward  with  a  sharp  curve,  and  terminates  at 
the  water's  ed^^e  in  a  bold  point,  on  which  is  perched  the 
Fort  of  Scin  Miguel  (Plate  X.). 

The  "Cidade  Baixa,"  or  lower  town,  is  built  on  the 
shore  of  the  bay,  on  the  flat  sandy  ground  thus  enclosed 
on  the  land  side. 

The  "  Ciflade  Alta,"  or  high  town,  is  built  on  the  high 
ground,  at  the  end  of  which  stands  the  fort  above  named. 

In  front  of  the  bay  a  long,  low,  and  very  narrow  spit  of 
pure  sand  stretches  like  a  natural  breakwater,  and  pro- 
tects the  harbour  of  Loanda  perfectly  from  the  waves  and 
surf  of  the  ocean. 

A  small  opening  called  the  Barra  (or  bar)  da  Corimba, 
about  a  mile  south  of  Loanda,  breaks  the  end  of  this  long 
spit  into  an  island ;  the  rest  joins  the  mainland  about 
twelve  miles  to  the  south. 

The  whole  length  of  the  spit  is  very  low  and  narrow, 
so  that  in  high  tides  the  waves  break  over  it  in  places, 
but,  singular  to  say,  it  has  never  been  washed  away  at  any 
place. 

The  bay  was  formerly  much  deeper ; — vessels  could 
anchor  quite  near  the  town,  and  could  pass  out  of  the 
Bcirra  da  Corimba,  but  now  they  have  to  anchor  about  a 
couple  of  miles  to  the  north  of  the  town,  and  boats  only 
can  pass  over  this  bar. 

A  number  of  huts  inhabited  by  native  fishermen  are 


p^iisiiipf* 

Flll'lh;.         '    .'!      JiPlilil       ll    III    '      i    I  1    llllil'lill    B 


p 

ill 


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IJIIIIIiiiii!^ 


Mm 
mm 

Mm 
'Mm 

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lit 

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iiill 

l!|llllNIIII{||i 


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iij  iiiiiillliil:i:ir 


LOAN  DA. 


built  on  tlie  island,  also  a  few  houses  belonging  to  the 
Portuguese,  who  are  fond  of  going  over  to  it  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bathing  in  the  open  sea  beyond.  The  cocoanut- 
palm  tree  thrives  very  well  on  this  sandy  spit,  but  only  a 
comparatively  small  number  are  growing  on  it. 

Some  years  ago  the  Government  sent  to  Goa  for  a 
Portuguese  planter  to  plant  this  valuable  palm,  and  to 
teach  the  natives  its  cultivation.  On  his  arrival  he  was 
only  afforded  means  to  sow  a  very  small  numb?r,  and 
was  then  appointed  postmaster  of  Loanda,  an  office  he 
held  for  many  years,  till  his  death,  and  I  do  not  believe 
that  a  single  cocoa-palm  has  been  planted  since,  either  by 
Government  or  private  individuals ;  and  thus  a  valuable 
and  easy  branch  of  cultivation  and  source  of  wealth  is 
entirely  neglected. 

Loanda  contains  about  10,000  or  12,000  inhabitants,  of 
whom  about  one-third  are  whites.  The  houses  are  gene- 
rally large  and  commodious,  built  of  stone,  and  roofed 
with  red  tiles ;  blue  is  a  favourite  colour  for  painting 
window-sills,  door-posts,  &c.,  and  gives  a  very  pretty 
appearance  to  the  city.  The  greater  part  of  the  houses 
consist  only  of  a  ground  floor, — the  better  class  have  a  first, 
but  rarely  a  second  floor.  Verandahs  more  or  less  open  are 
the  rule,  in  which  it  is  customary  to  take  meals. 

Not  many  houses  have  been  built  within  the  last  few 
years ;  they  mostly  date  from  the  time  when  Loanda  was 
a  wealthy  city,  and  the  chief  shipping  port  for  slaves  to 
the  Brazils,  when  as  many  as  twelve  or  fifteen  vessels  were 
to  be  seen  at  a  time  taking  in  their  cargoes  of  blacks. 
The  slavers  on  their  way  out  to  Loanda  used  to  bring 
timber  from  Rio  de  Janeiro  for  the  rafters  and  flooring 
of  the  houses,  and  so  hard  and  durable  was  it  that  it 
can  be  seen  at  the  present  day  in  the  old  buildings,  as 
perfect  and  sound  as  when  first  put  down,  resisting  per- 
fectly the  white  ant,  beetle  larva),  dry  rot,  and  mildew- 
that  soon  attack  and  destroy  native  woods. 

Loanda  has  improved  immensely  since  I  first  landed 
there  in  February  1858.  It  was  then  in  a  very  dilapi- 
dated and  abandoned  condition.     No  line  of  steamers 

N  2 


180  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

communicating  with  Europe  then  existed ;  four  and  six 
months  elapsed  without  a  vessel  arriving,  except  perhaps 
one  from  Kio  de  Janeiro  with  sugar  and  rum  ;  the  slave- 
trade  had  ceased  there  for  some  years,  and  hardly  any  trade 
in  produce  had  been  started,  a  little  wax,  ivory,  and 
orchilla-weed,  being  almost  the  only  exports. 

There  was  no  trade  or  navigation  whatever  on  the 
Eiver  Quanza,  and  hardly  any  shops  in  the  town,  so 
that  provisions  and  other  necessaries  were  constantly 
exhausted  and  at  famine  prices.  A  large  subsidy  was 
granted  to  the  colony  by  Portugal,  to  defray  its  ex- 
penses, always  far  in  excess  of  its  receipts.  Now  there  is 
a  monthly  line  of  large  steamers  from  Lisbon,  another 
from  Liverpool,  and  a  considerable  number  of  sailing- 
vessels  constantly  loading  and  discharging,  to  attest  to  the 
wonderful  increase  in  the  trade  of  the  place.  The  colony 
now  pays  its  own  expenses,  and  shows  a  yearly  surplus ; 
and  a  couple  of  steamers  running  constantly  from  the 
River  Quanza  to  Loanda  can  hardly  empty  the  river  of 
its  produce. 

All  the  public  buildings  are  in  an  efficient  state,  a 
larize  extent  of  flat,  stinking  shore  has  been  filled  up 
and  embanked,  ruins  of  churches  and  monasteries  cleared 
away,  walks  and  squares  laid  out  and  planted,  a  large 
new  market  is  being  built,  and  good  shops  and  stores  are 
now  abundantly  supplied  with  every  description  of  Euro- 
pean goods,  and  if  a  good  supply  of  water  were  brought  to 
the  city  from  the  River  Beugo,  there  would  certainly  not 
be  a  finer  place  to  live  in  on  the  whole  Western  Coast  of 
Africa. 

From  most  of  the  houses  having  large  yards,  in  which 
are  the  kitchens,  stores,  well,  and  habitations  for  the 
slaves  and  servants,  the  city  is  luckily  very  open,  and 
there  is  as  yet  no  overcrowding ;  the  roads  and  streets 
are  also  wide  and  spacious.  The  principal  street,  running 
through  the  whole  length  of  the  town,  is  remarkably  wide, 
and  for  some  distance  has  a  row  of  banyan  trees  in  the 
centre,  under  the  shade  of  which  a  daily  market  or  fair  is 
held  of  cloth  and  dry  goods. 


LOANDA.  181 


This  is  called  a  **  quitancia,"  the  native  name  for  a 
market,  and  the  sellers  are  almost  all  women,  and  are 
either  free  blacks,  who  trade  on  their  own  account,  or  are 
the  slaves  of  other  blacks,  mulattoes,  or  whites. 

Many  of  the  natives  and  carriers  from  the  interior  pre- 
fer buying  their  cloth,  crockery,  &c.,  of  these  open-air 
retailers,  to  going  into  a  shop. 

Four  sticks  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  a  few  **  loandos," 
or  papyrus  mats,  form  a  little  hut  or  booth  in  which  pre- 
sides the  (generally)  fat  and  lazy  negress  vendor. 

On  the  ground  are  laid  out  temptingly  pieces  of  cotton, 
gaily  coloured  handkerchiefs,  cheap  prints,  indigo  stripes, 
and  other  kinds  of  cloths ;  "  quindas,"  or  baskets  with 
balls  and  reels  of  cotton,  seed-beads,  needles,  &c. ;  knives, 
plates,  cups  and  saucers,  mugs  and  jugs,  looking-glasses, 
empty  bottles,  and  a  variety  of  other  objects.  At  other 
stalls  may  be  seen  balls  of  white  clay  called  "  pemba," 
and  of  "taenia,"  a  red  wood  of  the  same  name  rubbed  to 
a  fine  paste  with  water  on  a  rough  stone,  and  dried  in  the 
sun.  Kesting  against  the  trunks  of  the  trees  are  long 
rolls  of  native  tobacco,  plaited  like  fine  rope  and  wound 
round  a  stick,  which  a  black  is  selling  at  the  rate  of  a 
few  inches  for  a  copper  coin,  the  measure  being  a  bit  of 
stick  attaclied  by  a  cord  to  the  roll  of  tobacco,  or  round 
the  neck  of  the  black.  Others  sell  clay  tobacco-pipes  and 
pipe  stems,  and  as  all  men  and  women  smoke  as  much 
tobacco  as  they  can  afford,  a  thriving  trade  is  driven  in 
the  fragrant  weed.  All  the  tobacco  used  by  the  natives 
is  grown  in  the  country;  but  little  is  imported  from 
abroad,  and  this  is  mostly  purchased  by  the  Portuguese 
for  the  weekly  allowance  which  it  is  customary  in  Angola 
to  make  to  the  slaves. 

"  Diamba,"  or  wild  hemp  for  smoking,  is  also  largely 
sold. 

The  women  vendors  at  these  booths  are  amongst  the 
best-looking  and  cleanest  to  be  seen  in  Loanda,  and  with 
olten  quite  small  and  well-formed  hands  and  feet ;  they 
are  nqyj  sharp  traders,  and  all  squat  or  lie  down  at  full 
length  on  the  hot  sand,  enjoying  the  loud  gossip  and  chatter 


182  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

so  flear  to  the  African  woman,  with  their  friends  and  cus- 
tomers. 

A  square  at  tlie  back  of  the  custom-house  is  the 
general  market  of  Loanda,  and  presents  a  curious  scene, 
from  the  great  variety  of  articles  sold,  and  the  great 
excitement  of  buyers  and  sellers  crying  out  their  wares 
and  making  their  purchases  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 
The  vendors,  here  again,  are  mostly  women,  and,  as  no 
booths  are  allowed  to  be  put  up,  they  wear  straw  hats  with 
wide  brims,  almost  as  large  as  an  ordinary  umbrella,  to 
shade  themselves.  Every  kind  of  delicacy  to  captivate  the 
negro  palate  and  fancy  is  to  be  had  here  : — Avooden  dishes 
full  of  small  i^ieces  of  lean,  measly-looking  pork  ;  earthen 
pots  full  of  cooked  beans  and  palm-oil,  retailed  out  in  small 
platters,  at  so  much  a  lai'ge  wooden  spoonful,  and  eaten 
on  the  spot;  horrible-looking  messes  of  fish,  cakes,  and 
pastry,  &c.,  everything  thickly  covered  witli  black  flies 
and  large  bluebottles  ;  large  earthen  jars,  called  "sangas," 
and  gourds  full  of  "  garapa,"  or  indian-corn  beer ;  live 
fowls  and  ducks,  eggs,  milk,  Chili  peppers,  small  white 
tomatoes,  bananas,  and,  in  the  season,  oranges,  mangoes, 
sour-sop,  and  otlier  fruits,  "quiavos,"  a  few  cabbage-leaves 
and  vegetables,  firewood,  tobacco,  pipes  and  stems,  wild 
hemp,  mats,  pumpkins,  sweet  potatoes,  palm  and  ground- 
nut oil,  and  dried  and  salt  fish.  The  women  squat  on 
their  heels,  with  their  wares  in  front,  all  round  and  over 
the  square,  while  hundreds  of  natives  are  jabbering  and 
haggling  over  their  bargains,  as  if  their  existence  depended 
on  their  noisy  exertions. 

To  the  markets,  especially,  the  black  women  take  their 
dirty  babies  (they  all  seem  to  have  babies,  and  the  babies- 
seem  always  dirty)  and  they  let  them  roll  about  in  the 
sand  and  rubbish,  along  with  a  swarm  of  children,  mongrel 
dogs,  and  most  miserable,  lean,  long-snouted  pigs  that  turn 
over  the  garbage  and  quarrel  for  the  choice  morsels. 

There  are  two  other  marketing  places,  one  principally 
for  fruit  and  firewood,  the  other  where  fried  fish  is  the 
chief  article,  and  where  a  number  of  negresses  are  always 
busy  frying  fish   in   oil  in  the  open   air.     The  natives 


LOANDA.  183 


swarm  round  to  buy  and  eat  the  hot  morsels  which  the 
greasy  cooks  are  taking  out  of  the  hissing  pans  placed  on 
stones  on  the  ground  over  a  wood  fire, — these  they  put 
into  wooden  platters  by  their  side,  and  then  suck  their 
oily  fingers  with  their  thick  lips  or  rub  them  over  their 
warm  and  perspiring  faces  and  heads. 

Loanda  is  most  abundantly  suppb'ed  with  fisli  of  many 
kinds,  and  fortunate  it  is  for  many  of  its  inhabitants  that 
the  sea  is  so  prodigal  of  its  riches  to  them.  The  fish- 
market  is  an  open  space  at  the  southern  end  of  the  town, 
under  the  cliff  on  which  stands  the  Fort  of  San  Miguel. 


Here,  in  the  early  morning  and  in  the  afternoon,  come 
the  iishermen  watli  laden  canoes  and  toss  their  cargoes 
on  the  sandy  beach,  loud  with  a  perfect  Babel  of  buyers 
and  vendors.  The  smallest  copper  coin  enables  a  native 
to  buy  enough  fish  for  one  day ; — the  crowd  that  collects 
daily  at  the  fish-market,  and  the  strange  scene  that  it 
presents  of  noisy  bustle,  can  therefore  be  imagined. 

A  number  of  women  and  children  are  always  busy 
scaling  and  gutting  fish,  or  cutting  the  large  "pungos" 
and  sliarks  into  small  pieces  in  large  wooden  tubs,  where 
they  lie  slopping  in  their  reddish,  w^atery  blood ;  others 
are  frying  tish,  and  roasting  a  fish  like  a  herring,  held 
in  cleft  sticks  (Plate  XIV.),  six  or  seven  in  each,  stuck 
upright  in  the  sand  all  round  a  fire,  or  opening  fish  flat  to 
dry  in  the  sun  for  sale  to  the  natives  from  the  interior. 
The  fish  are  caught,  both  in  the  bay  and  out  at  sea,  with 
hook  and  line  and  with  nets  made  of  native-spun  cotton. 

The  quantity  of  fish  on  the  coast  is  incredible.  I  have 
often  watched  the  bay  at  night  to  listen  to  the  wonderful 
swishing  noise  made  by  the  fish  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  as  they  were  scared  by  every  flash  of  lightning. 
Steaming  once  into  Ambriz  Bay,  its  whole  surface  was 
alive  and  boiling,  as  it  were,  with  fish.  The  captain  of 
the  steamer,  who  had  in  his  lifetime  been  to  all  parts  of 
the  world,  declared  that  he  had  never  witnessed  such  a 
sight. 

A  small  shark  is  often  caught  which  is  much  esteemed 
by  the  natives,  and  is  dried  in  the  sun ;  also  the  "  pungo," 


184  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

^vllicll  attains  to  as  mucli  as  a  huDdred  pounds  in  weight. 
It  is  no  unusual  sight  to  see  one  slung  on  a  stick  passed 
through  the  gills  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  two 
blacks,  Avith  the  tail  dragging  on  the  ground.  It  has 
very  large,  flat  scales,  and  the  flesh  is  not  at  all  coarse  in 
flavour.  Latterly,  the  Portuguese  have  salted  this  fish 
in  barrels,  and  when  I  was  last  at  Loanda  I  was  told  of 
one  man  who  had  already  salted  2000,  and  the  season 
was  not  then  over.  It  is  this  fish  that  is  said  by  the 
natives  to  make  the  very  loud  and  extraordinary  noise 
that  one  hears  so  plainly  at  night  or  early  morning,  when 
in  a  boat  or  ship ;  it  is  said  to  press  its  snout  against 
the  vessel  and  then  make  the  curious  sound.  I  have 
heard  it  so  strongly  and  plainly  when  lying  in  a  bunk 
on  board  steamers  that  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  the 
fish  must  have  been  touching  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and 
I  have  seen  the  blacks  at  other  times  splashing  the  water 
with  an  oar,  because  the  loud  drumming  of  the  pungo 
kept  them  awake  when  lying  in  the  bottom  of  a  barge. 
The  sound  is  like  a  deep  tremolo  note  on  a  harmonium, 
and  is  quite  as  loud,  but  as  if  played  under  water.  This 
low,  sustained  note  has  a  very  strange  effect  wlien  first 
heard  so  unexpectedly  in  the  still  water.  It  is  a  migratory 
fish,  and  comes  in  shoals  on  the  coast  only  from  about  June 
to  August. 

Another  fish  like  a  small  cod,  called  '*  corvina,"  is  also 
migratory,  visiting  the  coast  from  July  to  September,  and 
appears  to  come  from  a  northerly  direction,  as  it  is  a 
month  later  in  arriving  at  IMossamedes  than  it  is  at 
Benguella,  a  distance  of  about  160  miles. 

Till  quite  lately  the  roads  and  streets  of  Loanda  were 
of  fine,  loose,  red  sand,  rendering  walking  difiicult  and 
uncomfortable,  particularly  in  the  daytime,  when  the  sand 
becomes  burning  hot  from  the  sun's  rays  ;  hence  very  few 
people  ever  walked  even  short  distances,  and  the  conse- 
quence was  the  constant  recourse  to  the  "  maxilla  "  for 
locomotion.  This  is  a  flat  frame  of  wood  and  cane-work, 
with  one,  or  sometimes  two  arms  at  the  side,  and  a  low 
back  provided  with  a  cushion.     This  frame  is  hung  by 


LOANDA,  185 


cords  to  hooks  on  a  "  bordao,"  or  palm-pole,  about  fifteen 
or  eighteen  feet  long,  and  is  carried  by  two  blacks  (Plate 
XII.).  It  is  a  very  comfortable  and  lazy  contrivance, 
and  the  carriers  take  it  easily  at  the  rate  of  about  three 
to  four  miles  an  hour.  The  maxilla  is  provided  with  a 
light  painted  waterproof  cover,  and  with  curtains  to  draw 
all  round  and  effectually  hide  the  inmate,  if  necessary. 
The  Portuguese  ladies  were  never  seen  walking  out  at 
any  time,  and  when  going  to  church  or  paying  visits 
always  went  in  a  maxilla  closely  curtained  that  no  one 
might  see  them.  It  is  difficult  to  explain  the  reason  for 
this,  but  I  believe  that  a  fear  of  Mrs.  Grundy  was  at  the 
bottom  of  it. 

There  is  a  very  fair  military  band  at  Loanda,  which 
plays  twice  a  week  in  the  high  town,  and  once  in  a  square 
near  the  bay.  When  I  was  last  at  Loanda  with  my 
wife,  two  other  English  ladies  were  also  there  with  their 
husbands,  and  as  we  all  listened  to  the  band  regularly, 
enjoying  the  cool  evening  promenade  we,  no  doubt,  at 
h'rst,  shocked  the  Portuguese  greatly  by  so  doing.  It 
had  at  last,  however,  the  good  elTect  of  bringing  many  of 
the  Portuguese  ladies  out  also,  and  they  did  not  draw 
the  curtains  of  their  maxillas  quite  so  closely  as  they 
used.  An  officer  from  Lisbon  explained  to  my  wife  that 
the  reason  his  countrywomen  did  not  like  to  go  about 
and  be  seen  was  that  they  were  so  ugly !  But  1  can  em- 
phatically testify  that  this  was  an  ill-natured  libel  on  the 
white  ladies  of  Loanda. 

There  is  a  commodious  custom-house  in  the  centre  of 
the  town.  On  the  quay  are  some  benches,  on  which  the 
merchants  sit  in  the  afternoon  to  discuss  current  events 
and  to  retail  the  choice  bits  of  scandal  of  the  day.  There 
are  several  large  and  roomy  Koman  Catholic  churches  in 
the  lower  town,  at  which  the  attendance,  however,  is  not 
very  great,  except  at  some  of  the  principal  festivals.  I 
once  saw,  in  a  procession  from  one  of  the  churches,  in 
carnival  time,  a  number  of  little  black  girls  dressed  to 
represent  angels,  with  white  wings  affixed  to  their  backs, 
and  intensely  funny  they  looked.    On  these  occasions,  and 


186  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

also  at  weddings,  christenings,  &c.,  quantities  of  rockets 
are  sent  up  in  the  daytime,  no  feast  being  considered 
complete  without  an  abundant  discharge  of  these  fire- 
works, to  the  immense  delight  of  the  black  juvenile  popu- 
lation, who  yell  and  scream  like  demons  and  throw  and 
roll  themselves  about  in  the  sand. 

At  several  places  may  be  seen  open  barbers'  shops  for 
the  natives,  distinguished  by  a  curious  sign,  namely,  . 
two  strips  of  blue  cloth  edged  with  red,  about  three  or 
four  feet  long  and  six  inches  wide,  stretched  diagonally 
over  the  entrance  (Plate  XII.).  Inside,  a  chair  covered 
Avith  a  clean  white  cotton  cloth — with  the  threads  at  the 
ends  pulkd  out  for  about  four  inches,  to  leave  a  lace-like 
design,  called  '*  crivo  " — invites  customers  to  enter  and  sit 
down,  and  have  their  heads  shaved  quite  bare,  the  usual 
custom  at  Loanda,  particularly  of  the  negro  women. 

The  dress  of  the  blacks  at  Loanda  is  the  same  as  else- 
where in  Anjrola ; — a  cloth  round  the  waist  reaching  to  the 
knees  or  ankles  and  another  thrown  over  the  shoulders, 
or  a  cotton  shirt,  is  the  most  common.  Those  who  can 
afford  it  are  fond  of  dressing  in  white  man's  costume  of 
coat  and  trousers,  but  the  grand  ambition  of  all  is  to 
possess  an  ordinary  chimney-pot  hat,  which  is  worn  on 
special  occasions,  no  matter  whether  the  wearer  be  dressed 
in  cloths  or  coat. 

The  costume  of  the  black  women  of  Loanda  is  hideous. 
An  indigo  black  cotton  cloth  is  folded  round  the  body 
and  envelopes  it  tightly  from  the  armpits  t'o  the  feet; 
another  long  piece  of  the  same  black  cloth  covers  the 
head  and  is  crossed  over  the  bosom,  or  hangs  down  loosely 
over  the  shoulders,  showing  only  the  face  and  arms. 

The  correct  costume  is  to  have  a  striped,  or  other  cotton 
cloth  or  print  under  the  black  cloths,  but  as  only  these 
latter  are  seen,  the  women  have  a  dreadfully  i'unereal 
appearance.  The  poorer  class,  and  slaves,  wear  bright 
cotton  prints,  &c.,  and  always  a  white  or  red  handker- 
chief folded  narrow  and  wound  round  the  head  very 
cleverly,  suiting  their  dark  skins  remarkably  well.  A  very 
common  ornament  round  the  forehead  is  a  narrow  strip  of 


NATIVES.  187 


seed  bead-work  of  different  colours  and  patterns,  and  the 
women  are  fond  of  copying  the  hirge  capital  letters  of  the 
advertisements  in  the  Portuguese  newspapers,  quite  un- 
conscious, of  course,  of  the  meaning  of  their  pattern  : — I 
once  saw  "Piannos  para  alugar"  (Pianos  for  hire)  worked 
in  beads  round  the  head  of  a  bhick  woman: 

The  Loanda  women  have  a  singular  habit  of  talking 
aloud  to  themselves  as  they  walk  along,  which  at  first 
strikes  a  stranger  very  forcibly ;  the  men  do  the  same,  but 
to  nothing  like  the  extent  tliat  the  women  do.  All  loads 
are  carried  by  the  women  on  their  heads,  in  all  parts  of 
Angola,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  balance  anything 
on  their  shaven  heads  is  wonderful.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
understand  that  baskets  or  heavy  loads  can  be  easily 
balanced,  but  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  women  and 
girls  walking  along  with  a  tea-cup,  bottle,  tumbler,  or 
wine  glass  on  their  heads,  and  turning  round  and  talking 
without  the  least  fear  of  its  dropping  off.  The  manner  in 
which  they  balance  the  "sangas,"  or  earthen  pots,  in 
which  they  carry  water  is  the  most  curious  of  all ;  these 
are  large,  and  have  round,  rather  pointed  bottoms;  a 
handkerchief  is  rolled  round  into  a  small  cushion  and  put 
on  the  side  of  the  head,  and  the  "  sanga  "  is  placed  on  it, 
not  quite  on  its  bottom,  but  a  little  on  one  side. 

All  the  natives  of  Angola,  but  particularly  the  women  of 
Loanda,  are  very  fond  of"  cola,"  the  beautiful  rose-coloured 
fleshy  fruit  of  the  Sterculia  Cola.  The  tree  bearing  it  is 
very  handsome,  with  small  pretty  flowers  having  a  power- 
ful and  most  djsgusting  odour.  The  first  time  I  became 
acquainted  with  the  tree  was  at  Bembe.  I  was  out  walking, 
and  suddenly  noticed  a  very  bad  smell,  and  on  asking  a 
black  with  me  where  it  could  possibly  come  from,  thinking 
it  was  from  some  dead  animal  in  a  high  state  of  decompo- 
sition, he  laughed,  and  pointing  to  a  tree  said  it  came 
from  the  flowers  on  it ; — I  plucked  a  small  bouquet  of  them, 
and  when  I  reached  home  put  them  in  a  wine  glass  of 
water  to  keep  them  fresh,  and  left  them  on  the  table  of 
the  padre  (with  whom  I  was  then  staying).  When  he 
went  into  his  room  he  began  to  call  out  for  his  servants, 


188  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

and  asked  them  why  they  had  allowed  cats  to  get  into  his 
room,  and  it  was  some  time  before  he  was  ])acified  or 
convinced  that  the  few  innocent-looking  flowers  had  made 
the  room  stink  to  that  degree.  The  flowers  are  succeeded 
by  large  pods,  in  which  are  contained  five  or  more  large 
seeds  like  peeled  chestnuts,  closely  wedged  together,  soft 
and  fleshy,  and  with  a  very  peculiar  disagreeable,  acrid, 
bitter  flavour.  The  natives  eat  a  small  piece  of  '*cola" 
with  a  bit  of  green  ginger  the  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
and  wash  it  down  with  a  dram  of  gin  or  other  spirit. 

Amongst  tlie  mulattoes  and  black  women  it  is  usual 
to  send  a  fresh  "  cola  "  as  a  present,  and  there  is  a  sym- 
bolical language  expressed  by  the  number  of  nicks  made 
on  it  by  the  nail,  of  greeting,  good  wishes,  &c. 

A  considerable  quantity  of  ''cola"  was  formerly  ex- 
ported to  Rio  de  Janeiro  from  Loanda,  packed  in  moist 
clay  or  earth  to  keep  it  fresh. 

Servants  in  Loanda  are  almost  all  slaves.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  hire  free  men  or  women.  Tho>e  seekins: 
service  as  carriers,  porters  &c.,  are  nearly  all  slaves  to 
other  natives.  Slaves  as  a  rule  are  very  well  treated  in 
Angola  by  the  Portuguese,  and  cases  of  neglect  or  ill- 
usage  are  rare.  Public  opinion  is  strongly  opposed  to 
ill-treatment  of  slaves,  and  there  is  a  certain  amount 
of  rivalry  in  presenting  household  slaves,  especially,  well- 
dressed,  and  with  a  healthy  appearance,  and  even  on 
the  plantations  inland,  or  removed  from  such  influence,  I 
nevei-  knew  or  heard  of  slaves  being  worked  or  treated  in 
the  hard  and  cruel  manner  in  which  they  are  said  to  have 
been  in  the  Southern  States  of  America,  or  at  the  present 
day  in  Cuba.  It  is  easy  for  slaves  in  Angola  to  run  away, 
and  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  take  any  steps  to  recapture 
them,  and  if  they  have  any  vice  or  bad  habit,  it  is  so  well 
known  that  harsh  measures  will  never  cure  them  of  it  that 
they  are  sold  at  once.  An  ordinary  slave  is  not  worth 
mucli,  3Z.  to  bl.  being  the  utmost  value.  If  proficient  in 
any  trade,  or  good  cooks,  then  they  fetch  as  much  as  20/. 
or  more.  Many  of  the  old-established  houses  make  it  a 
point  of  never  selling  a  slave  they  have  once  bought; 


SLAVERY.  189 


and  when  a  slave  requires  correction  or  punishment,  he 
is  delivered  over  to  the  police  for  that  purpose,  and  as 
desired,  he  is  either  placed  in  the  slave-gang,  chained  by 
the  neck  to  others,  and  made  to  work  at  scavengering, 
carrying  stone,  &c.,  or  receives  a  thrashing  with  a  eat-o'- 
nine-tails,  or  a  number  of  strokes  on  the  palms  of  the  hands 
with  a  flat,  circular  piece  of  wood  pierced  with  five  holes 
and  with  a  short  liandle. 

The  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  Portuguese  possessions 
was  decreed  some  years  ago.  The  names  of  all  the  exist- 
ing slaves  had  to  be  inscribed  in  the  Government  office  as 
"Libertos,"  and  the  owners  were  obliged  to  supply  them 
with  proper  food,  clothing,  and  medicine,  and  were  not 
allowed  to  punish  them ;  while  they,  on  their  part,  were 
required  to  work  for  seven  years  as  compensation  to  their 
owners,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  they  were  to  be 
free.  This  has  been  allowed  to  remain  virtually  a  dead- 
letter,  the  slaves  never  having  had  the  law  explained  to 
them,  and  the  authorities  not  troubling  themselves  to  en- 
force their  liberation  at  the  end  of  the  seven  years. 

The  complete  abolition  of  slavery  in  Angola  has,  however, 
been  decreed  to  take  place  in  the  year  1878,  and  should 
the  measure  be  strictly  enforced,  the  total  annihilation  and 
ruin  of  the  thriving  and  rising  cotton  and  sugar-cane  plan- 
tations, &c.,  will  be  the  result,  Avith  a  vast  amount  of  misery 
to  the  thousands  of  liberated  blacks. 

It  is  a  pity  that  philanthropy  should  blindly  put  so 
sudden  a  stop  to  a  custom  that  has  existed  from  time  im- 
memorial, and  of  which  the  evils  are,  in  a  country  like 
Angola,  exceedingly  slight.  The  eifect  of  this  measure 
will  be  to  destroy  its  nascent  industry,  the  only  means  for 
its  progress  and  development,  and  will  plunge  a  great 
part  of  its  population  into  helpless  misery  for  years  to 
come.  Let  slavery  be  abolished  by  all  means,  but  only, 
in  the  most  gradual  manner,  and  in  proportion  to  the 
industrial  and  moral  advancement  of  the  race. 

The  natives  of  Angola  are  specially  fitted  for  the  intro- 
duction of  habits  of  industry  and  usages  of  civilization,  as 
they  are  naturally  of  a  peaceable,  quiet,  and  orderly  dis- 


190  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 

position.  The  difference  between  tbem  and  the  natives 
of  Sierra  Leone  and  the  rest  of  the  West  Coast  is  very- 
striking  and  pleasing.  They  have  none  of  the  disgusting 
swagger,  conceit,  or  cant  of  the  former,  but  are  invariably 
civil  and  kindly,. and  under  a  firm  arid  enlightened  policy 
they  would  become  more  really  civilized  and  industrious 
than  any  other  natives  of  the  West  Coast. 

That  such  woukl  be  the  case  is  abundantly  proved  by 
what  has  already  been  done  under  the  Portuguese  in  An- 
gola, nothwithstanding  the  intolerable  system  of  rapine 
and  oppression  which  the  natives  have  borne  for  so  many 
years  from  their  government,  a  system  in  which  only 
quite  recently  has  any  improvement  been  noticed.  Were 
the  natives  otherwise  than  inoffensive  and  incapable  of 
enmity,  they  would  long  ago  have  swept  away  the  rotten 
power  of  the  Portuguese  in  that  large  extent  of  territory. 

Two  good  paved  roads  lead  from  the  lower  to  the  upper 
town  of  Loanda  ;  in  this  are  the  Governor's  palace,  the 
prison,  the  treasury  and  other  pu-blic  offices,  the  barracks, 
and  the  military  and  general  hospital.  This  is  the 
healthiest  part  of  the  town,  being  fully  exposed  to  the 
strong  sea  breeze,  and  splendid  views  are  obtained  from 
it  of  the  bay,  shipping,  and  town  to  the  north,  and  of  the 
coast  and  the  "  llha  "  or  island  to  the  south. 

The  country  inland,  immediately  beyond  the  town,  is 
dotted  with  "mosseques"  or  country  houses  and  planta- 
tions, and  in  one  depression  or  valley  are  situated  the 
huts  comprising  the  dwelling-places  of  the  native  popu- 
lation, which  have  lately  been  removed  from  the  back 
of  the  lower  town,  where  they  were  a  nuisance.  In  the 
'•'  Cidade  Alta "  there  existed  till  lately  the  ruins  of  the 
former  cathedral :  these  Avere  cleared  away  and  a  tower 
built  on  the  spot,  in  which  are  a  few  meteorological 
instruments,  and  observations  of  temperature,  height  of 
barometer,  fe,  are  taken  daily.  The  extensive  ruins  of  a 
monastery  have  also  been  levelled,  and  a  public  garden 
laid  out  on  their  site.  These  ruins  gave  some  idea  of  the 
importance  of  Loanda  in  former  and  richer  times. 

A  tame  pelican  has  lived  in  the  "Cidade  Alta"  for 


CONVICTS.  191 


some  years.  He  is  fed  daily  with  a  ration  of  fresh  fish 
from  the  Governor's  palace,  and  flies  over  every  morning 
to  the  ishuid  to  have  his  ba\h  and  plume  himself  at  tlie 
water's  edge,  returning  regularly  afte»  completing  his 
ablutions.  He  is  very  playful  and  is  I'ond  of  giving  the 
nigger  children  sly  pokes  and  snaps,  or  trying  to  pick  the 
buttons  off  people's  coats.  On  the  evenings  when  the 
band  plays  he  may  be  seen  promenading  about  with 
becoming  gravity  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  music.  He  is  very 
fond  of  being  taken  notice  of  a;id  having  his  head  and  the 
soft  pouch  under  his  long  bill  stroked. 

About  a  mile  from  the  high  town,  on  the  road  south 
to  Calunibo  on  the  Eiver  Quanza,  is  an  old  and  deep  well 
called  the  "mayanga,"  where  hundreds  of  blacks  flock 
daily  to  draw  a  limited  supply  of  clear  though  sliglitly 
brackish  water,  but  tlie  best  to  be  had  in  Loanda,  the 
usual  wells  affording  water  quite  unfit  for  drinking 
purposes. 

The  vegetation  about  Loanda  is  scanty,  but  a  milky- 
juiced,  thin-stemmed  euphorbia,  called  "  Cazoneira,"  and 
the  cashew-tree,  grow  very  abundantly  on  the  clitts,  and 
inland  about  the  "  mosseques  ;" —  mandioca,  beans,  &c., 
grow  sparingly  in  the  sandy,  arid  soil. 

Oxen  thrive,  but  very  little  attention  is  given  to  rearing 
them,  Loanda  being  supplied  with  cattle  from  the  interior 
for  the  beef  consumed  by  the  population. 

Angola  is  one  of  the  penal  settlements  of  Portugal, 
where  capital  punishment  was  abolished  some  years  ago, 
and  whence  the  choicest  specimens  of  ruffians  and  whole- 
sale assassins  are  sent  to  Loanda,  to  be  treated  with  the 
greatest  consideration  by  the  authorities.  On  arriving 
on  the  coast,  some  are  enlisted  as  soldiers,  but  the  more 
important  murderers  generally  come  provided  with  money 
and  letters  of  recommendation  that  ensure  them  their 
instant  liberty,  and  they  start  grog-shops,  &c.,  where  they 
rob  and  cheat,  and  in  a  few  years  become  rich  and 
independent  and  even  influential  personages. 

Although  most  of  the  convicts  are  sentenced  to  hard 
labour,  veiy  few  are  made  to  work  at  all ;  but  I  must  do 


192  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

tliese  gentlemen  the  justice  of  saying  that  their  behaviour 
in  Angola  is  generally  very  good,  and  murders  or  violence 
committed  by  them  are  extremely  rare,  though  they  may- 
have  been  guilty  of  many  in  Portugal, — the  reason  of  this 
furnishes  an  argument  against  the  abolition  of  capital 
punishment;  it  is  because  they  have  the  certainty  of 
being  killed  if  they  commit  a  murder  in  Angola,  whereas 
in  their  mother  country  they  may  perpetrate  any  number 
of  crimes  with  the  knowledge  that  if  punished  at  all,  it  is 
at  most  by  simple  transportation  to  a  fine  country  like 
Angola,  where  many. have  made  their  fortunes,  and  where 
no  hardships  await  them. 

In  Angola  they  are  thrashed  for  every  crime,  and  none 
survive  the  punishment  if  such  crime  has  been  of  any 
magnitude.  One  of  the  few  cases  that  I  remember  at 
Loanda  was  that  of  two  convicts  who  agreed  to  kill  and 
rob  another  who  kept  a  low  grog-shop,  and  who  was  sup- 
posed to  be  possessed  of  a  small  sum  of  money.  They 
accomplished  their  purpose  one  night,  and  returned  to  the 
hut  where  one  of  them  lived,  to  wash  av/ay  the  traces 
of  their  crime,  and  hide  the  money  they  had  stolen. 
A  little  girl,  the  child  of  one  of  the  murderers,  was  in  bed 
in  a  small  room  in  the  hut  at  the  time,  and  heard  the 
whole  of  the  proceedings.  Before  leaving,  the  other 
assassin,  suddenly  remembering  the  presence  of  the  child 
in  the  adjoining  room,  declared  that  she  miglit  have  heard 
their  doings  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  kill  her  also,  lest 
she  might  divulge  their  crime.  The  monsters  approached 
her  little  bed  for  that  purpose,  but  she  feigned  sleep  so 
successfully  that  they  spared  her  life,  thinking  she  had 
been  fast  asleep. 

The  next  day  the  child  informed  a  woman  of  what  she 
had  heard  the  night  before,  and  the  inhuman  father  and 
his  companion  were  arrested,  tried,  and  condemned  to 
receive  a  thousand  stripes  each.  They  were  thrashed  until 
it  was  considered  that  they  had  had  enough  for  that  day, 
but  luckily  both  died  on  their  way  to  the  hospital.  At 
the  investigation  or  inquest  held  on  their  bodies,  the  doctor 
certified  that  their  deaths  had  been  caused  by  catching 


THEATRE.    MORALS.  193 


cold  when  in  a  heated  condition  on  their  way  to  the  hos- 
pital from  the  place  of  punishment ! 

In  Angola  convicts  cannot  run  away,  nor  would  thej 
meet  with  protection  anywliere,  and  they  would  most  cer- 
tainly be  killed  off  quietly  for  any  cri'me  they  might  com- 
mit, and  no  one  would  care  to  inquire  how  they  came  by 
their  death. 

The  police  of  Loanda  are  all  blacks,  but  officered  by 

Portuguese.    They  manage  to  preserve  public  order  pretty 

^ell,  and  are  provided  with  a  whistle  to  call  assistancCj  as 

in  Portugal.     No  slave  is  allowed  to  be  about  at  night 

after  nine  o'clock  unless   provided  with  a  pass  or  note 

from  his  master. 

The  lighting  of  the  city  is  by  oil-lamps  suspended  at 
the  corners  of  the  streets  oy  an  iron  framework,  so  hinged 
as  to  allow  the  lamp  to  be  lowered  when  required  for  clean- 
ing and  lighting,  and  it  is  secured  by  a  huge  flat  padlock. 

The  military  band  plays  twice  a  week.  There  are  no 
places  of  public  amusement  except  the  theatr'e,  which  is 
a  fine  one  for  so  small  a  place  as  Loanda,  but  only- 
amateur  representations  are  given.  It  was  once  closed 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time  on  account  of  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  amongst  the  inhabitants  as  to  whether 
only  the  few  married  and  single  ladies  should  be  admitted, 
or  whether  the  many  ladies  living  under  a  diversity  of 
arrangements  should  be  on  equal  terms  with  the  rest. 
Tliis  very  pretty  quarrel  was  highly  amusing,  and  gave 
rise  to  most  lively  scandal  and  recrimination  between 
the  two  contending  parties,  but  the  latter  and  more 
numerous  and  influential  section  carried  the  day,  and 
ever  since  the  doors  have  been  open  to  all  classes  of  the 
'  fair  sex,  and  the  boxes  on  a  gala  night  may  be  seen  filled 
with  the  swells  of  the  place,  accompanied  by  the  many 
black,  mulatto,  and  white  lady  examples  of  the  very  elastic 
state  of  morals  in  fashion  in  Angola. 

There  is  a  well-attended  billiard-room  and  cafe,  and 
lately  an  hotel  was  opened.  There  is  not  much  society  in 
Loanda,  as  but  few  of  the  Portuguese  bring  their  wives  and 
families  with  them,  and  there  are  but  few  white  women. 


194  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 

An  official  gazette  is  published  weekly,  but  it  seldom 
gives  any  news  beyond  appointments,  orders,  and  decrees, 
movements  of  shipping,  &c. ;  a  newspaper  was  attempted, 
but  owing  to  its  violent  language  it  was  suppressed  for  a 
time  and  its  editors  imprisoned.  There  are  at  present  two 
newspapers,  but  they  indulge  abundantly  in  scurrilous 
language  and  personalities.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a  well- 
conducted  newspaper,  exposing  temperately  the  many 
abuses,  and  ventilating  the  questions  of  interest  in  the 
country,  would  be  of  great  benefit. 


(    193    ) 


CHAPTER  XIL 

DIVISION  OF  ANGOLA  —  WRETCHED  PAY  OF  OFFICIALS  — 
ABUSES  BY  AUTHORITIES  —  EVILS  OF  HIGH  IMPORT 
DUTIES  —  SILVER  MINES  OF  CAMBAMBE — JOURNEY  TO 
CAMBAMBE  — EXPLORATION  —  VOLCANIC  ROCKS — HORN- 
BILL —  THE    PLANTAIN   EATER — HYENAS. 

The  province  of  Angola  is  divided  by  the  Portuguese  into 
four  governments,  viz.,  Ambriz  (or  Dom  Pedro  V.),  Loanda, 
Bengnella,  and  Mossamedes.  These  are  again  subdivided 
into  districts,  each  ruled  by  a  military  *•  cliefe  "  or  chief 
subordinate  to  the  governors  of  each  division,  and  these 
in  their  turn  to  the  Governor-General  of  the  province  at 
Loanda.  In  this  great  extent  of  country  under  Portuguese 
rule,  from  the  difficulty  and  delay  in  the  communications 
with  the  central  head  of  military  and  civil  government  at 
Loanda,  and  from  the  fact  that  the  ''  chefes "  combine 
both  military  and  civil  functions,  the  tyrannical  injustice 
and  spoliation  the  natives  have  so  long  suffered  at  their 
hands  can  be  easily  imagined. 

Other  causes  also  concurred  to  produce  this  disgraceful 
state  of  things  in  Angola.  The  wretched  pay  cf  the  Por- 
tuguese officers  almost,  obliged  them  to  prey  upon  the 
utterly  defenceless  population.  The  great  bribery  and  cor- 
ruption by  means  of  which  places  that  bled  well  or  yielded 
"emoluments,"  as  they  were  called,  were  filled;  the  igno- 
rant and  ordinary  class  of  officers,  as  a  rule,  who  could  be 
forced  to  serve  in  Angola ;  and  the  knowledge  that  scarcely 
any  other  future  was  open  to  them  than  the  certainty  of 
loss  of  health  after  years  of  banishment  in  Africa — must 
be  mentioned  as  causes  of  the  despotic  oppression  that 
crushed  the  whole  country  under  its  heel,  depopulating  it, 

o  2 


19G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

and  stifling  any  attempt  at  industrial  development  on  the 
part  of  the  natives.  That  this  is  a  truth,  admittinc:  of  no 
denial  or  defence,  is  at  once  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
sources  of  the  great  exports  of  native  produce  are  all  places 
removed  from  the  direct  misrule  of  the  Portuguese. 

The  pay  of  the  Governor-General  of  Angola  is  1333?. 
per  annum.  That  of  the  Colonial  Secretary  is  444Z.  A 
major's  pay  is  now  lOZ.  per  month;  that  of  a  capiain 
Ql.  Vds.  id. ;  a  lieutenant's,  51.  12s.  Id. ;  a  sub-lieutenant's 
4?.  8s.  lid.  Some  few  years  ago  the  pay  was  actually, 
incredible  as  it  may  appear,  thirty  seven  and  a  half  per 
cent,  below  the  above  amounts:  the  present  pay  is  only 
the  same  as  in  Portugal.  When  in  command,  a  major 
and  captain  have  thirty  per  cent.,  and  a  lieutenant  and 
sub-lieutenant  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  addition. 

For  the  above  mean  and  miserable  pay  Portugal  sent, 
and  still  continues  to  send,  men  to  govern  her  extensive 
semi-civilized  colonies.  Can  any  one  in  his  senses  be 
astonished  at  the  result  ?  Not  a  penny  more  did  a  poor 
officer  get  when  perhaps  sent  miles  away  into  the  interior, 
Avhere  the  carriage  of  a  single  load  of  provisions,  &c.,  from 
Loanda  would  cost  half  a  sovereign  or  more,  and  where 
even  necessaries  were  often  at  enormous  prices. 

In  the  fifteen  years  that  I  have  principally  lived  in,  and 
travelled  over  a  great  part  of  Angola,  and  passed  in  inti- 
mate intercourse  with  the  natives  and  Portuguese,  I  have 
had  abundant  opportunities  of  witnessing  the  miserable 
state  to  which  tliat  fine  country  has  been  reduced  by  the 
wretched  and  corrupt  system  of  government.  This  state 
is  not  unknown  to  Portugal,  and  she  has  several  times 
sent  good  and  honest  men  as  governors  to  Loanda  to  try 
to  put  a  stop  to  the  excesses  committed  by  their  subordi- 
nates, but  they  have  been  obliged  to  return  in  despair,  as 
without  good  and  Avell-paid  officials  it  was  no  use  either  to 
change,  or  to  make  an  example  of  one  or  two  where  all 
were  equally  bad  or  guilty.  There  is,  of  course,  but  little 
chance  of  any  change  until  Portugal  sees  that  it  is  to  her 
own  advantage  tliat  this  immensely  rich  possession  should 
be  governed  by  enlightened  and  well-paid  officials.    Let 


ABUSES  BY  AUTEOBITIES.  197 

her  send  to  Angola  independent  and  intelligent  men, 
and  let  them  report  faithfully  on  the  causes  that  have 
depopulated  vast  districts,  that  have  destroyed  all  in- 
dustry, and  that  continually  provoke  the  wars  and  wide 
dissatisfaction  among  tribes  naturally  so  peaceable  and 
submissive,  and  amenable  to  a  great  extent  to  instruction 
and  advancement. 

A  few  instances  will  give  an  idea  of  the  persecution  that 
the  natives  were  subject  to  in  Angola  from  the  rapacity  of 
their  rulers,  and  from  which  no  redress  was  possible. 

To  assist  the  traders  established  at  Pungo  Andongo, 
Cassange,  and  other  parts  of  the  interior  to  transport  their 
ivory,  wax,  and  otlier  produce  to  the  coast,  the  govern- 
ment directed  that  a  certain  number  of  carriers  should  be 
supplied  by  the  "Soba"or  native  king  of  each  district, 
and  that  a  stipulated  payment  should  be  made  to  these 
carriers  for  their  services  by  the  traders.  This  was 
immediately  turned  by  the  Portuguese  "  chefes  "  to  their 
own  advantage :  —the  carriers  were  fr)rced  to  work 
without  any  pay,  which  was  retained  by  the  "  chefe,"  and 
as  fines  and  imprisonments  helped  to  depopulate  whole 
districts,  and  carriers  became  more  difficult  to  obtain,  the 
"chefes"  in  their  rapacity  exacted  a  larger  and  larger 
sum  from  the  traders  for  each,  over  and  above  the  stipu- 
lated pay.  This  frightful  abuse  existed  in  full  force  till 
1872,  when  the  forced  liability  of  the  natives  to  serve  as 
carriers  was  abolished  by  law. 

So  easy  and  successful  a  robbery  w^as  this,  that  large 
sums  were  spent  and  much  interest  employed  for  the  sake 
of  getting  the  post  of  "  chefe  "  to  the  more  important  dis- 
tricts, such  as  Golungo  Alto,  Pungo  Andongo,  &c.,  even 
for  a  short  time.  The  "  chefe  "  being  military  commandant 
and  ci\il  judge,  the  population  were  perfectly  incapable  of 
resistance  or  complaint,  and  if  such  reached  Loanda,  it  was 
of  course  quashed  by  the  friends  of  the  despot  in  power, 
who  had  themselves  received  a  heavy  sum  to  obtain  him 
the  post. 

While  I  was  exploring  the  district  of  Cambambe,  an 
order  arrived  from  Loanda  for  the  "  Chefe  "  to  draw  up 


198  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

and  forward  a  list  of  the  number  of  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms  and  being  called  out  as  a  native  militia.  Such  an 
apparently  simple  order  supplied  the  "chefe"  with  a 
means  of  committing  a  dastardly  robbery  on  the  defenceless 
natives,  and  he  in  his  turn  was  cheated  of  more  than  half 
of  it  by  his  subordinates,  two  mulatto  militia  officers,  who 
were  sent  by  him  with  half-a-dozen  black  soldiers  to  scour 
the  country  and  obtain  the  desired  information. 

I  was  staying  at  the  house  of  a  Portuguese  trader,  at  a 
place  called  Khangui-a-pepi,  on  the  road  to  Pungo  An- 
dongo,  and  about  half-way  between  that  place  and  Dondo, 
when  these  two  scoundrels  arrived,  and  arranged  the  ful- 
lowing  plan  with  the  trader,  whose  name  was  Diaz.  They 
had  agreed  with  the  "  chefe  "  of  Cambambe  at  Dondo,  to 
receive  a  small  share  of  the  plunder  they  were  to  collect 
for  him,  but  as  they  considered  this  share  was  not  suffi- 
ciently liberal,  they  proposed  to  Diaz  to  send  him  part  of 
the  horned  cattle  they  should  obtain,  for  which  he  was 
to  jDay  them  in  cash  a  certain  amount, — below  the  value 
of  course.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  they  departed  in  high 
spirits. 

A  month  after,  on  calling  again  on  Diaz,  I  found  that 
the  two  villains  had  already  sent  him  seventy  oxen,  and 
that  their  journey  was  not  yet  completed !  How  many 
they  had  sent  to  the  "  chefe  "  at  Cambambe  of  course  I 
could  not  ascertain. 

The  manner  of  proceeding  was  simple  and  ingenious. 
They  pretended  that  the  Governor-General  at  Loanda  had 
sent  an  order  that  all  men  in  the  district  should  be  enlisted 
fts  soldiers  and  ^ent  to  the  coast  to  serve  in  some  war,  that 
the  names  of  all  were  down  from  the  registers  at  Cam- 
bambe, and  they  had  come  to  revise  the  list,  and  that  all 
would  be  liable  to  serve  and  be  taken  from  their  homes 
unless  they  were  bribed  to  have  the  names  erased. 

In  this  way  they  robbed  the  poor  inhabitants  wholesale, 
of  oxen,  sheep,  goats,  fowls,  money,  &c.,  with  what  success 
will  be  seen  from  the  number  of  cattle  only  that  they  sent 
Diaz  in  one  month,  an^  from  a  part  only  of  an  extensive 
district. 


ABUSES  BY  AUTHORITIES.  199 

On  my  arrival  at  Loanda  some  months  later,  I  informed 
the  Governor  personally  of  what  I  had  witnessed,  but  he 
declared  himself  unable  to  prevent  it  or  punish  the  cul- 
pritSj  from  the  impossibility  of  obtaining  le<i^al  proofs,  and 
from  the  influential  position  held  by  the  principal  robber. 

Shortly  after  the  commencement  of  steam  navigation 
on  the  River  Quanza,  the  Governor-General  was  asked  to 
order  the  *' chefes "  of  Cambambe  and  Muxima  to  cause 
stumps  and  snags  that  were  dangerous  to  the  steamers  to 
be  removed  from  the  river.  By  a  similar  ingenious  inter- 
pretation this  inoffensive  order  of  the  Government  was 
converted  into  a  means  of  levying  black-mail  on  the  natives 
of  the  river.  The  subordinates  intrusted  with  the  execu- 
tion of  the  measure  declared  that  they  had  oiders  to  cut 
down  all  palm-trees  on  or  near  the  banks  of  the  river,  and 
would  do  so  unless  bribed  to  S[)are  the.m.  In  this  way  a 
considerable  sum  of  money  was  netted  by  the  rogues  in 
power. 

The  natives  of  the  interior  of  Loanda  are  veiy  fond  of 
litigation,  and  this  again  is  a  source  of  considerable  profit 
to  the  "chefes,"  as  they  will  not  receive  any  petition, 
issue  a  summons,  &c.,  without  being  bribed,  and  the  crooked 
course  of  justice  may  in  consequence  be  imagined. 

A  friend  told  me,  that  being  once  with  tlie  ''  chefe"  of 
a  district  in  the  interior,  they  saw  two  bullocks  approach- 
ing the  "  chef'e's"  house,  and  on  his  asking  a  black  standing 
near  whose  cattle  they  were,  he  answered  very  coolly  that 
"  they  were  two  oxen  that  were  bringing  a  petition  ! " 

I  need  not  say  that  I  have  known  some  honest  "  chefes" 
who  discharged  the  duties  of  their  ill-paid  and  thankless 
office  honourably  and  with  intelligence,  but  these  excep- 
tions are  too  rare  to  influence  in  the  least  the  sad  state 
into  which  the  country  has  been  sunk  by  long  years  of 
rapacity  on  the  part  of  its  irresponsible  rulers.  Only  a 
total  change  in  the  system  of  government  can  again 
people  the  vast  deserted  tracts  with  industrious  inha- 
bitants to  cultivate  its  rich  land ;  but,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
a  termination  to  the  long  reign  of  corruption  that  has 
existed  in  Angola  is  not  to  be  expected  for  years  to  come. 


200  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

Whilst  in  Portugal  itself  patriotism  and  public  morality 
are  debased  by  an  unchecked  system  of  bribery  and  greed 
of  money  and  power,  it  is  too  much  to  expect  that  her  rich 
colonies  will  be  purged  of  their  long-existing  abuses. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  great  peninsular  obstruction 
and  impediment  of  high  custom-house  duties,  so  fatal  to 
all  commercial  and  industrial  development,  is  in  full  and 
vexatious  force  in  Angola,  Avith  the  exception  of  Ambriz, 
where  the  total  annihilation  of  trade  from  this  cause,  after 
its  occupation  by  the  Portuguese,  was  so  striking,  that  I 
at  last  prevailed  upon  the  Governor,  Francisco  Antonio 
Gonfalves  Cardozo,  to  reduce  the  duties  to  a  moderate 
figure,  with  what  wonderful  results  I  have  already  explained 
in  a  former  chapter. 

With  the  great  want  of  roads  and  carriers,  or  other 
means  of  conveyance,  either  for  goods  into  or  produce 
from  the  interior,  transport  is  very  expensive,  and  it  is 
evident  that  the  levying  of  high  import  duties  besides  on 
all  goods  for  trade  so  enhances  their  value,  that  it  becomes 
impossible  to  offer  an  adequate  return  or  advantage  to  the 
native  for  the  result  of  his  labour  or  industry,  or  to  leave 
much  margin  for  profit  to  the  merchant;  consequently, 
the  development  of  the  country  becomes  completely  para- 
lysed and  the  revenue  of  the  state  remains  small  in 
proportion.  Such  a  simple  fact,  apparent  to  the  meanest 
understanding,  is  perfectly  incomprehensible  to  the  Por- 
tuguese !  To  mention  one  instance  only  :  the  last  time 
I  was  at  Golungo  Alto  the  price  of  gunpowder  was 
nearly  six  shillings  a  pound,  and  that  of  other  goods  in 
proportion !  That  the  natives  of  Angola  will  cultivate 
large  quantities  of  produce,  if  they  can  get  moderately 
well  paid  for  their  trouble,  is  evidenced  by  the  con- 
siderable exports  from  the  country  from  Ambriz  to  the 
River  Congo,  where  there  are  no  custom-houses,  and  also 
on  the  Eiver  Quanza,  where  steam-navigation  enables 
goods  to  be  sent  up  the  country  cheaply,  and  so  to  bear  the 
almost  prohibitive  duties  levied  on  them  at  Loanda. 

It  is  not  only  the  excessively  high  duties  paid  to  the 
custom-house  that  are  complained  of  by   the   merchants 


HIGH  IMP  OUT  D  UTIES.  201 

at  Loancla,  but  the  absurd,  petty,  and  vexatious  manner 
in  which  the  whole  system  is  worked ;  the  mean  prohi- 
bitions and  regulations  attending  tlie  loading,  discharging, 
and  clearing  of  goods,  vessels,  and  boats  ;  tlie  great  delay 
and  trouble  about  the  simplest  operations  ;  the  intense  ob- 
tuseness  of  the  officials,  and  tlie  utter  want  of  reason  or 
object  for  such  irritating  proceedings.  They  do  not  prevent 
smuggling,  as  that  can  be  most  easily  effected  by  any  one 
desiring  to  do  so,  the  lower  officers  and  police  being  all 
common  blacks  or  mulattoes  in  the  receipt  of  miserable 
pay  ;  and  I  remember  one  of  the  first  merchants  of  Loanda 
once  opening  a  drawer  in  his  office,  and  showing  me  sig- 
nificantly, when  speaking  on  this  subject,  a  number  of 
vouchers  for  small  sums  of  money  he  had  advanced  on 
loan  to  the  petty  officers  employed  by  the  custom-house, 
and  paid  liberally  at  the  rate  of  a  few  pence  a  day  to 
prevent  smuggling ! 

It  would  be  amusing  to  see  fo  much  imposing  bombast 
in  the  custom-house  of  a  little  place  like  Loanda,  de- 
pending on  a  lot  of  poor,  ragged,  and  starving  blacks 
for  its  preventive  service,  were  it  not  so  annoying  to 
see  the  effect  of  the  high  duties  in  hindering  the 
development  of  the  riches  of  the  country,  whose  com- 
mercial prosperity  is  at  present  the  only  remedy  for 
the  evils  of  its  misgovernment. 

From  olden  times  the  report  has  been  handed  down 
of  the  occurrence  of  silver  in  the  district  of  Cambambe, 
and  the  object  of  the  Portuguese  in  some  of  their  first 
wars  in  the  interior  was  to  obtain  possession  of  the  mines. 
There  is,  however,  no  record  to  show  that  they  were 
successful  in  their  endeavours,  and  beyond  the  statement 
that  the  natives  of  Cambambe  paid  tribute  to  the  Portu- 
guese in  silver,  part  of  which  was  made  into  a  service  for 
a  church  in  Lisbon,  nothing  more  was  definitely  known 
about  it. 

AVhen  I  left  the  Bemba  mines  I  was  engaged  by 
Senhor  Flores  of  Loanda  to  explore  the  supposed  locality 
of  the  silver  mines,  as  well  as  various  sites  in  Cambambe 
believed  in  former  days  to  Lave  been  copper  workings. 


202  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

I  made  a  preliminary  trip  into  the  interior  in  September 
1859,  and  then  left  Africa,  returning  a  few  months  later 
with  miners  and  the  necessary  tools  and  apparatus  for 
a  more  complete  exploration,  which  the  indications  1  had 
noticed  warranted  me  in  undertaking. 

I  luckily  had  with  me  six  capital  Ambriz  carriers,  who 
had  brought  me  from  Ambriz  to  Loanda  in  my  journey 
through  the  country  of  Mossulo,  which  J  have  described 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  and  I  readily  induced  them  to 
take  me  to  Cambambe.  I  say  luckily,  as  we  found  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  obtaining  carriers  on  the  road,  and 
we  should  have  had  to  walk  much  greater  distances 
than  we  did,  if  I  had  not  had  the  Ambriz  blacks.  I  was 
accompanied  by  a  Senhor  Lobato,  of  Massangano,  the 
first  man  who  had  started  trade  on  the  River  Quanza  by 
means  of  barges  to  and  from  Loanda.  Our  route  lay 
from  Loanda  to  the  Eivcr  Bengo,  and  from  thence  inland, 
in  an  easterly  direction,  on  the  high  road  to  Cassange — 
the  farthest  point  occupied  by  the  Portuguese  in  Angola. 

The  road,  lor  a  couple  of  days'  journey  or  more,  is  on 
and  near  the  south  bank  of  the  River  Bengo,  and  passes 
through  some  of  the  most  fertile  land  imaginable,  but, 
with  the  exception  of  small  mandioca  and  other  food- 
plantations,  producing  but  little  beyond  the  requirements 
of  the  few  inhabitants  of  the  country,  owing  to  the  absence 
of  cultivation. 

We  passed  many  places  where  towns  had  formerly 
existed,  but  the  inhabitants  had  been  obliged  to  remove 
farther  into  the  interior,  or  to  the  country  about  the  River 
Dande,  to  escape  the  wholesale  robbery  and  exactions  of 
the  Portuguese  *'  chefes." 

The  second  night  after  leaving  Loanda  we  dined  and 
slept  at  the  house  of  the  "chefe  "  of  the  distiict  of  Icol!o 
e  Bengo,  a  very  intelligent  young  man,  newly  appointed 
to  that  place,  and  he  gave  us  a  painful  description  of  the 
wretclied  condition  in  which  he  had  found  his  district. 

We  weie  unable  to  obtain  carriers  here  at  any  price, 
those  that  had  brought  us  from  Loanda  having  beenhirKi 
for  that  distance  only,  as  they  would  not  trust  themselves 


JOURNEY  TO  CAMBAMBE.  203 

farther  inland,  fearing  they  miglit  be  forced  to  carry- 
back heavy  loads,  for  whi(  h  they  would  be  jaid  only  a 
miserable  pittance,  or  perhaps  nothing  at  all. 

\\q  had,  consequently,  to  rely  only  on  the  six  Ambriz 
men  we  had  with  ns,  but  subsequently  we  were  fortunate 
enough  to  j)i(dv  up  a  few  more  on  the  road.  In  six  days 
we  arrived  at  Poito  Domingos,  on  the  Eiver  Lucala,  a 
tributary  of  the  Quanza.  In  these  six  days  we  jasscd 
through  very  varied  scenery,  due  not  oidy  to  the  irradual 
elevation  of  the  country  irom  tiie  coast,  as  noticed  en 
the  roal  from  Ambriz  to  Bembe,  but  also  to  the 
variety  of  geological  formations.  On  leaving  Loanda  hori- 
zontal l>eds  of  limestone,  and  then  fine  sandstones,  occur. 
Near  the  junction,  at  a  place  called  Tantanbondo,  there 
are  curious  lines  of  nodules  embedded  in  the  limestone, 
and  numbers  loose  on  the  surface  from  the  weatliering 
of  the  latter.  These  nodules  are  generally  fractured,  and 
re-cemented  with  crystalline  calcspar;  tho>e  not  fractured 
are  mostly  of  a  singular,  rounded  snape,  like  an  ordinary 
cottage-loaf.  At  Icollo  e  Bengo,  finely  micaceous  iron  ore 
is  found ;  and  at  Calunguembe  trap-rock  occurs,  which 
gives  a  most  picturesque  peaky  appearance  to  the  country. 

Porto  Domingos  is  one  of  the  most  lovely  })laces  1  have 
seen  in  Airica;  the  vegetation  of  palm-trees,  baobabs, 
cottonwood-trees,  and  creepers  of  many  kinds  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  is  wonderfully  luxuriant.  We  found, 
traces  everywhere  of  a  former  very  much  larger  popu- 
lation, and  the  same  true  tale  of  the  inhabitants  having 
been  driven  farther  inland  by  the  rapine  of  their  Portu- 
guese rulers. 

Alter  leaving  Porto  Domingos  we  arrived  next  day  at 
the  dry  bed  of  the  Kiver  Mucozo,  a  small  stream  running 
only  in  the  rainy  season  and  joining  the  Eiver  Quanza  at 
Dondo.  We  passed  through  a  thick  wood,  the  road  being 
the  dry  bed  of  a  small  stream  running  through  it,  and 
the  ground  a  sandy  dust  of  a  bright  red  colour  from  oxide 
of  iron.  We  and  our  carriers  presented  a  comical  appear- 
ance after  walking  an  hour  and  a  half  through  the  wood. 

The  rock  of  the  country  is  a  kind  of  conglomerate,  with 


204  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

a  matrix  containinp^  much  oxide  of  iron.  At  the  Kiver 
Mucozo  this  formation  is  succeeded  by  a  very  hard  white 
quartzose  rock,  containing  but  little  mica  or  feldspar,  and 
the  scenery  is  very  beautiful,  the  country  being  very  hilly 
and  broken. 

Three  days'  journey  over  a  wild  and  rocky  country 
brought  us  to  the  *'Soba"  Dumbo,  formerly  a  very 
powerful  king,  and  from  whom  the  Portuguese  have 
always  derived  great  assistance  in  their  wars,  but  only 
a  handful  of  natives  remain  at  the  present  day  in  the 
countrv,  to  mark  the  place  of  the  once  populous  kingdom 
of  the  *'  Soba  "  Dumbo. 

In  the  next  two  or  three  succeeding  days  I  visited  the 
places  where,  from  the  heaps  of  stones  lying  close  to  holes 
and  excavations,  it  was  likely  that  the  natives  had  formerly 
worked  for  minerals ;  and  that  copper  was  what  they  had 
extracted  or  searched  for  was  evident  from  the  indications 
of  blue  and  green  carbonate  of  copper  in  these  heaps. 
I  saw  enougli  to  convince  me  that  an  exploration  of  the 
country  was  desirable,  and  likely  to  result  in  meeting 
with  important  deposits  of  copper.  Of  silver  or  other 
metals  I  saw  no  indications  whatever. 

We  crossed  in  a  southerly  direction  to  Nhangui-a-pepi, 
and  from  thence  to  Dondo  and  down  the  Eiver  Quanza  in 
a  canoe  to  Calumbo.  A  night's  journey  in  a  hammock 
brought  us  back  to  Loanda,  having  been  absent  exactly  a 
fortnight  on  this  very  interesting  journey,  and  though  we 
suffered  several  times  from  hunger  and  thirst,  and  walked 
a  great  part  of  the  distance  from  want  of  carriers,  it  was 
performed  without  any  accident  whatever  or  ill  effects  to 
health. 

On  my  return  to  Africa  in  November  1860,  I  was 
accompanied  from  Lisbon  by  two  Portuguese  miners,  to 
assist  me  in  the  exploration  of  these  localities  and  in  my 
search  for  the  ancient  silver  mines.  One  of  these  men 
died  on  arrival  at  Loanda  of  an  epidemic  of  malignant 
fever  then  raging  there,  and  the  other  died  shortly 
after  reaching  Cambainbe,  whither  I  had  immediately 
proceeded. 


VOLCANIC  BOCKS,  205 

From  November  to  June  I  was  actively  occupied  in 
exploring  this  district,  and  I  cleared  out  several  of  the  old 
workings,  but  failed  to  discover  metallic  deposits  or  indi- 
cations of  any  value,  though  malachite  and  blue  carbonate 
of  copper  were  to  be  noticed  abundantly  distributed 
everywhere. 

I  made  many  excursions,  sometimes  of  several  days' 
duration,  in  that  time — one  in  the  direction  of  the  district 
of  Puque  de  Braganpa  to  a  place  called  Ngombi  Ndua 
on  the  fine  range  of  granite  mountains  ending  south  at 
Pungo  Andongo ;  but  beyond  the  universal  indications  of 
carbonates  of  copper,  my  explorations  yielded  no  result. 

A  very  interesting  excursion  was  one  I  made  about 
thirty  miles  in  a  northerly  direction,  where  I  passed 
through  most  beautiful  mountain  scenery,  the  formation 
of  the  country  being  trachyte  or  volcanic  rock. 

This  evidence  of  ancient  volcanic  action  is  extremely 
interesting,  as  it  may  have  caused  the  ridge  or  elevation 
running  the  whole  length  of  Angola,  which  elevation  has 
prevented  the  drainage  of  the  plateau  of  the  interior  of 
that  part  of  Africa  from  flowing  to  the  Atlantic.  This  too 
strengthens  my  idea  of  the  great  Kiver  Congo  being  found 
to  bend  to  the  south,  and  be  the  outlet  for  the  waters  of 
the  hundreds  of  miles  of  country  lying  behind  Angola, 
and  perhaps  far  beyond  to  the  south,  where,  as  I  have 
already  stated,  there  is  no  river  of  any  consequence  to  be 
found. 

The  only  other  example  of  volcanic  rock  I  have  met 
with  in  Angola  is  the  narrow  belt  or  strip  of  basalt  found 
at  Mossamedes,  and  on  the  sea  shore  to  the  north  of  it  for 
about  thirty  or  forty  miles. 

This  trachyte  of  part  of  Cambambe  is  no  doubt  con- 
nected with  the  trap-rocks  noticed  in  my  journey  over- 
land from  Loanda  to  that  district.  The  greater  part  of 
Cambambe  is  rocky,  and  destitute  of  forest  or  large  trees ; 
large  tracts  are  covered  with  grass  and  shrubs,  and  of  these 
the  "Nborotuto"  {Cochlospermum  Angolense,  Welw.),  a 
small  shrubby  tree  with  large,  bright  yellow  flowers  about 
four  inches  across,  and  like  gigantic  buttercups  in  shape 


206  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

and  colour,  is  extremely  common,  and  very  conspicuous. 
In  the  cacimbo,  or  f-ry  season,  some  very  beautiful  bnlhs 
and  orcliids  spring  up  after  the  ground  has  bet-n  cleared 
of  grass  by  burning. 

Birds  of  lUMuy  species  and  of  beautiful  colouring  are 
abundant,  and  in  a  small  collection  1  made  (see  *Tiie 
Ibis '  for  October  1862),  Dr.  Hartlaub  found  several  new 
species,  and  I  have  no  doubt  this  distii/t  would  well  repay 
a  collector.  The  most  extraordinary  bird  in  appearance 
and  habits  is  certainly  a  large  black  hornbill  (Bucorax 
Ahyssinicus),  called  by  the  natives  Engungoashito.  It 
is  about  the  size  of  a  large  turkey,  but  longer  in  the 
body  and  tail.  The  following  is  from  my  notes  on  this  bird 
in  the  above  publication  : — 

"They  are  Ibund  sparingly  nearly  everywhere  in  Angola, 
becoming  abundant,  however,  only  towards  the  interior.  In 
the  mountain-range  in  which  Pungo  Andongo  is  situated, 
and  running  nearly  N.  and  S.,  they  are  common,  and  it 
was  near  the  base  of  these  mountains  that  I  shot  these 
two  specimens.  They  are  seen  in  flocks  of  six  or  eight 
(the  natives  say,  always  in  equal  number  of  males  and 
females).  Farther  in  tlie  interior,  I  was  credibly  informed 
that  they  are  found  in  flocks  of  from  one  to  two  hundred 
individuals. 

"The  males  raise  up  and  open  and  close  their  tails 
exactly  in  the  manner  of  a  turkey,  and  tilling  out  the 
bright  cockscomb-red,  bladder-like  wattle  on  their  necks, 
and  with  uings  dropping  on  the  ground,  make  quite  a 
grand  appearance. 

"They  do  not  present  a  less  extraordinary  appearance  as 
they  walk  slowly  with  an  awkward  gait,  and  peer  from 
side  to  side  with  their  great  eyes  in  quest  of  food  in  the 
short  grass,  poking  their  large  bills  at  any  frog,  snake, 
&c.,  that  may  come  in  their  way. 

"  Their  flight  is  feeble,  and  not  long-sustained.  When 
alarmed,  they  generally  fly  up  to  the  nearest  large  tr>-^e, 
preferring  such  as  have  thick  branches  with  but  little 
foliage,  as  the  Adansonia  "  Mucuzo  "  (a  wild  fig).  Here 
they  squat  close  on  the  branches,  and,  if  further  alarmed, 


THE  nORNBlLL.  207 


raise  themselves  quite  upright  on  their  legs  in  an  attitude 
of  listening,  with  wide-open  bills.  'Jhe  iirst  to  notice  a 
person  at  once  utters  its  customary  cry,  and  all  fly  off 
to  the  next  tree. 

*'They  are  very  wary;  the  grass  near  the  mountains 
being  comparatively  sliort,  and  with  but  little  scrub  or 
bush,  it  is  very  difficult  to  approach  them  without  being 
oK-^erved  from  the  high  trees.  I  followed  a  flock  of  six  for 
upwards  of  two  liours,  crawling  flat  on  my  stomach,  negro 
fashion,  before  I  obtained  a  chance  of  a  shot,  when  I  was 
80  fortunate  as  to  break  the  wing  of  a  male  without  other- 
wise injuring  it.     It  was  quickly  captured  by  the  blacks. 

"They  are  omnivorous  in  their  food:  reptiles,  birds, eggs, 
beetles,  and  all  other  insects,  mandioca-roots,  ginguba  or 
ground-nuts,  constitute  their  food  in  the  wild  state.  In 
conh'nement  I  have  fed  this  bird  upon  the  same  food,  also 
upon  fresh  fish,  which  it  showed  itself  very  fond  of,  as 
well  as  on  the  entrails  of  fowls,  &c.  On  letting  it  loose  in 
Loanda,  in  a  yard  where  tiiere  were  several  fowls  with 
chickens,  it  immediately  gulped  down  its  throat  six  of  the 
latter,  and  finished  its  breakfast  with  several  eggs ! 

"The  note  or  cry  of  the  male  is  like  the  hoarse  blast  of 
a  horn,  repeated  short  three  times,  and  answered  by  the 
i'emale  in  a  lower  note.  It  is  very  loud,  and  can  be  heard 
at  a  considerable  distance,  particularly  at  night. 

"  They  are  said  to  build  their  nest  on  the  very  highest 
Adansonias,  in  the  hollow  or  cavity  formed  at  the  base  or 
junction  ot  the  branches  with  the  trunk." 

Another  bird  (the  Scopus  umhretta)  is  singular  from  tlio 
curious  story  of  its  habits  as  described  by  the  natives, 
but  unfortunately  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of  investi- 
gating their  statements,  to  ascertain  the  exact  foundation 
for  them. 

All  the  more  intelh'gent  blacks  in  Cambambe  gave  me 
exactly  the  same  description,  and  I  leave  it  for  i'uture 
collectors  to  verify  the  statement.  It  is  a  small  heron- 
like bird  of  a  very  uniform  chestnut-brown  colour,  and  is 
found  near  pools  and  marshes.  It  is  aflirraed  by  the 
natives  that  it  never  builds  its  own  nest,  but  that  other 


208  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

birds,  of  different  species,  make  one  lor  it,  and  also  that 
if  a  person  bathes  in  the  pool  in  which  this  bird  is  in  the 
habit  of  washing  and  pluming  itself,  he  becomes  quickly 
affected  with  a  cutaneous  eruption  similar  to  the  itch. 

The  lovely  "  plaintain-eaters,"  principally  the  Corytliaix 
Paulina,  are  very  abundant  all  over  Angola  where  thick 
forests  are  found.  They  are  common  in  the  country  about 
Pungo  Andongo,  and  also  near  the  Eiver  Quanza.  They 
have  a  very  loud,  hoarse  cry  quite  unlike  that  which  a 
bird  might  be  imagined  to  produce,  which  has  a  very 
singular  and  startling  effect  when  heard  in  a  forest. 

it  is  its  unearthly  cry  that  makes  this  bird  an  object 
of  superstition  to  the  natives  of  the  whole  of  Angola.  It 
is  said  by  them  to  be  a  "  feiticeiro,"  or  sorcerer,  and  that 
it  warns  travellers  of  danger  by  frightening  with  its  cry 
p.nimals  or  robbers  lying  in  wait  for  them.  If  one  of 
these  birds  should  perch  on  a  hut  or  on  a  tree  within  the 
enclosure  of  a  town  and  sing,  it  is  thought  such  a  bad 
omen  that  the  inhabitants  vacate  it  and  remove  to  another 
place.  When  the  natives  bring  them  in  cages  from  the 
interior  for  sale  on  the  coast,  they  never  take  them  into 
the  towns  on  the  road  for  fear  they  should  sing  whilst  in 
them,  and  at  night  the  carrier,  for  the  same  reason,  sleeps 
with  his  bird  at  some  little  distance  from  any  town. 

One  most  singular  circumstance  connected  with  this 
bird  is  the  fact  that  the  gorgeous  blood-red  colour  of  its 
wing-feathers  is  soluble,  especially  in  weak  solution  of 
ammonia,  and  that  this  soluble  colouring  matter  contains 
a  considerable  quantity  of  copper,  to  which  its  colour  may 
very  probably  be  due.  My  attention  was  first  called  to 
this  extremely  curious  and  unexpected  fact  by  Professor 
Church's  paper  in  the  'Phil.  Trans.'  for  1869  ;  and  on  my 
last  voyage  home  from  the  Coast  I  purchased  a  large 
bunch  of  the  red  wing-feathers  in  the  market  at  Sierra 
Leone,  with  which  my  brother-in-law  Mr.  Henry  Bassett, 
F.C.S.,  has  verified  Professor  Church's  results  conclusively, 
and  has  found  even  a  larger  proportion  of  copper  in  the 
colouring  matter  extracted  from  these  feathers. 

The  ammoniacal  solution  is  of  a  magnificent  ruby-red 


THE  PLANTAIN-EATER,  209 

colour  by  transmitted  light.  Mr.  Bassett  obtained  the 
following  as  the  result  of  his  investigation : — 

"  From  oOO  feathers  obtained  1*04:5  grin,  turacin.  Two 
copper  determinations,  made  by  fusing  with  nitre  and  car- 
bonate of  soda,  washing  out  with  water,  then  dissolving  the 
oxide  of  copper  in  nitric  acid,  filtering,  and  precipitating 
with  potasli,  gave  quantities  of  oxide  of  copper  correspond- 
ing to  7'6  and  8  0  per  cent,  of  metallic  copper.  Cijurch 
found  (j  0  per  cent. ;  on  the  other  liand,  the  feathers  yielded 
him  a  larger  quantity  of  the  colouring  matter.  General 
characters,  appearance,  &c.,  exactly  in  accordance  with 
Chuich's  description;  insoluble  in  benzol,  sulphide  car- 
bon, tetrachloride  carbon.  The  copper  to  be  unmistakably 
seen  by  burning  the  smallest  portion  of  a  feather  in  a 
Bunsen  burner." 

It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  this  copper  is  derived  from 
the  metal  contained  in  the  food  of  these  birds,  or  whether 
they  pick  up,  with  sand  and  gravel,  the  attractive  looking 
particles  of  malachite  so  universally  distributed  over 
Angola.  Their  habits  would  seem  to  favour  somewhat 
this  view,  as  they  are  extremely  inquisitive  in  their  wild 
state,  running  along  the  large  branches  of  the  trees  in  an 
excited  and  fussy  manner,  with  outstretched  neck  and 
expanded  wings,  and  peering  down  on  any  intruder  with 
(.very  expression  of  interest  and  curiosity. 

At  the  same  time,  two  birds  that  1  have  had  in  con- 
finement in  England,  both  for  live  or  six  years,  moulted 
regularly  every  year,  and  reproduced  the  splendidly 
coloured  feathers  of  the  same  brightness  without  the 
possihility  of  getting  any  copper  except  what  might  have 
entered  into  the  composition  of  their  food,  which  was  most 
varied,  consisting  of  every  ripe  fruit  in  season,  cooked  vege- 
tables and  roots,  rice,  bread,  biscuits,  dried  fruits,  &c. 

In  Angola  many  of  the  ''  plantain-eaters"  to  be  obtained 
from  thtj  natives  will  only  eat  bananas,  and  refuse  all 
ether  food,  so  tliat  they  cannot  be  brought  to  Europe; 
others,  however,  readily  adapt  themselves  to  almost  every 
kind  of  soft  food. 

My  first  bird  was   a  Corythaix  Livingstoniiy  and  was 

p 


210  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

beautifully  tame  and  gentle;  it  was  most  amusing  in  its 
habits,  and  in  the  notice  it  took  of  everything  around  it ; — 
a  cliange  of  dress,  or  even  new  or  differently  coloured 
ribbons  to  what  it  had  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing,  excited 
its  attention  greatly,  and  it  would  utter  a  loud  cry  and 
open  out  its  lovely  wings  in  astonishment,  and  coming 
close  to  the  cage  bars  examine  it  with  the  greatest  curiosity. 
It  was  very  fond  of  having  a  picture-book  shown  it, 
noticing  especially  those  pictures  ^lat  were  most  vividly 
coloured.  It  was  very  fond  of  a  bath,  which  it  used  to 
coine  out  and  take  in  a  large  pie-dish  full  of  water  placed 
on  the  table.  At  night  it  roosted  in  a  little,  flat  basket, 
in  which  it  would  not  readily  nestle  till  one  of  my  sisters 
sang  to  it  for  a  few  minutes,  when  it  would  utter  a  satis- 
fied kind  of  low,  rumbling  noise,  and  at  once  squat  down 
quietly  to  sleep. 

My  List  live  specimen,  a  Corytliaix  Paulina  was  also 
very  tame,  and  has  only  recently  died  from  the  breaking 
of  an  egg  inside  its  body.  A  former  eg^^  that  it  laid  is 
now  in  the  collection  of  the  British  Museum.  It  had  only 
just  moulted  before  it  died,  and  the  skin  is  in  beautiful 
plumage. 

It  is  pleasing  to  record  an  instance  of  a  bird  being 
considered  of  good  omen ;  this  is  one  called  "  Quioco " 
by  the  natives,  which  has  a  beautifully  clear  and  loud 
song,  and  this  is  believed  to  be  a  sign  of  good  luck  when 
heard  near  their  huts.  Its  scientitic  name  is  Telejphonus 
erythropterus. 

Cattle  thrive  excellently  in  this  district,  and  might  be 
reared  in  any  number,  as  also  goats,  sheep,  and  poultry. 
Game  is  comparatively  scarce.  Wild  animals  are  princi- 
pally the  spotted  and  striped  hyena  and  the  black-backed 
jackal.  Leopards  I  only  heard  of  as  infesting  the  country 
about  half-way  between  Nhangui-a-pepi  and  Dondo,  where, 
during  the  time  I  was  in  Cambambe,  they  had  carried 
away  cattle  and  attacked  several  blacks.  The  hyenas 
used  to  visit  us  almost  every  night  in  Cambambe,  and  at 
one  place,  where  my  cook  slept  by  himself  in  a  small  hut, 
which  was   also  the  kitchen,  they  frightened  him  so  by 


HYENAS.  211 


snortiiif^  under  the  door  and  trying  to  force  tlieir  way  in, 
attracted  no  doubt  by  the  smell  of  the  pots  and  pans,  that 
he  refused  to  pass  anotlier  night  in  it,  and  I  had  to  let 
liim  sleep  in  my  hut.  One  night  we  heard  a  noise  of 
smashing  of  crockery  and  falling  of  pots,  &c.,  from  the 
kitchen,  and  in  the  morning  we  fouud  that  a  hyena  had 
forced  his  way  into  the  hut  (built  of  sticks  and  grass)  and 
had  taken  away  a  sheepskin  from  a  wooden  irame  that 
served  as  a  table,  on  which  my  cookh  ad  carefully  placed 
my  stock  of  plates  and  cooking  utensils  to  dry,  bringing 
the  whole  to  the  ground,  and  considerably  reducing  my 
limited  stock  of  china  and  glass. 

Nothing  comes  amiss  to  these  voracious  creatures,  their 
powerful  jaws  and  teeth  enabling  them  to  crunch  up  any 
bones,  skin,  &c.  The  hides  of  the  oxen  that  were  killed 
for  food  used  to  be  thrown  on  the  roofs  of  the  huts  tc  dry, 
and  the  hyenas  would  sometimes  get  at  them,  and  if  not 
taken  away  bodily  we  would  find  them  almost  entirely 
eaten  up,  their  sharp  teeth  having  cut  through  the  tough 
raw  hide  as  perfectly,  and  seemingly  as  easily,  as  a  pair 
of  shears ;  the  ox  skull  and  other  bones  of  course  always 
disappeared  completely  during  the  night. 

When  driven  by  hunger  they  become  very  bold,  but 
rarely  attack  man.  At  13enguella,  where  they  are  very 
abundant,  such  a  thing  as  an  attack  on  a  native  was 
unknown,  although  at  night  many  blacks  sleep  out  of 
doors,  and  often  in  a  drunken  and  helpless  state;  but  at 
Golungo  Alto,  after  an  epidemic  of  small-pox,  wlien  the 
hyenas  preyed  upon  the  bodies  of  natives  who  had  died 
of  the  disease,  I  was  told  that  they  had  got  into  a  habit 
of  attacking  the  live  blacks  at  night,  but  no  fatal  case 
occurred. 

Hyenas  always  hunt  in  couples,  a  male  and  female 
according  to  the  natives,  and  very  often  several  couples 
together. 

That  they  seek  their  prey  in  pairs  I  believe  to  be  the  case, 
from  an  instance  that  occurred  to  myself  in  Cambambe. 
I  had  built  a  long  hut  of  sticks  and  grass  for  two  white 
men   (Portuguese  soldiers   and  military   convicts)   from 

p  2 


212  AN Q OLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

Loanda,  who  had  been  sent  me  on  the  death  of  the  miner 
1  liad  brought  with  me  from  Portugah  The  two  men 
occupied  one  end  of  the  hut,  the  other  being  taken  up  with 
the  mining  tools,  stores,  &c.,  and  one  nif>ht  two  sheep  had 
been  placed  there  also,  for  safety.  One  was  tied  to  a 
bundle  of  shovels,  and  the  other  to  a  wheelbarrow,  to  pre- 
vent them  from  straying  about  in  the  hut.  0[)posite  to 
where  tliey  were  secured  was  a  door  made  of  green  sticks 
and  withes. 

Whilst  the  men  were  asleep  a  hyena  forced  his  way 
under  the  door,  and  carried  off  one  of  the  sheep  ;  its  crieu 
and  the  noise  awoke  the  men,  who  jumped  out  of  bed  and 
rushed  out  to  try  and  save  the  poor  sheep,  but  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night  nothing  could  be  seen,  and  all  that 
was  heard  was  the  rush  of  the  animals  and  shovels  down 
the  rocky  and  stony  ground — the  liut  being  built  on  a  small 
steep  rise  or  hill.  Whilst  the  men  were  thinking  what 
they  should  do,  and  standing  only  a  few  yards  from  the  hut, 
another  hyena  got  into  it  through  the  now  open  door  and 
carried  off  the  second  sheep  and  the  wheelbarrow,  which 
went  banging  down  the  hill  over  the  loose  stones.  In  the 
morning  the  shovels  and  wheelbarrow  were  found  at  some 
little  distance  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  but  not  a  trace  of 
the  poor  sheep. 

The  hyenas  are  remarkably  wary  and  cautious,  only 
coming  near  habitations  in  the  darkest  nights,  and 
generally  near  daybreak.  I  was  never  able  to  shoot  one 
in  the  ordinary  way,  though  I  often  watched  with  gun 
ready  through  an  opening  in  the  walls  of  my  hut.  I  once, 
however,  killed  a  tine  spotted  hyena  by  tying  my  gun 
to  a  couple  of  stakes  in  the  ground,  and  putting  an  ox's 
gullet  on  the  muzzle  as  a  bait,  so  arranged  with  a  string 
to  the  trigger  as  to  fire  off  the  gun  on  the  animal  attempting 
to  pull  it  away. 

The  next  time  I  arranged  this  infernal  machine  it  nearly 
killed  a  tine  pig  that  had  set  its  heart  on  the  bait,  but  as 
he  luckily  did  not  approach  it  in  the  right  direction,  I 
lost  the  charge  of  powder  and  ball,  and  the  pig  found  his 
anticipated  titbit  suddenly  vanish  in  smoke. 


(    213    ) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PROVINCE  OF  CAZEXGO  —  GOLUNGO  ALTO  —  GOLD  —  WILD 
COFFEE  —  IRON  SMELTING  —  FORMER  MISSIONARIES  — 
CUSTOMS  —  NATIVES  —  PRODUCTIONS. 

The  farthest  inland  district  in  Angola  under  the  rule 
of  the  Portuguese  was  that  of  Cassange,  but  a  successful 
revolt  of  the  natives  against  the  oppression  of  the  Portu- 
guese "  chefes "  led  to  its  being  abandoned  a  few  years 

Malange  is  now  the  iiirthest  point,  the  two  next  being 
Pungo  Andongo  and  Duque  de  Braganfa ;  the  latter  is 
at  present  of  no  value  or  importance  whatever. 

The  Portuguese  traders  are,  however,  established  in 
considerable  force  at  Cassange,  as  well  as  at  JVIalange  and 
Pungo  Andongo,  and  a  large  trade  in  ivory  and  wax  has 
always  been  carried  on  from  that  part  of  the  country. 

I  am  unable  to  describe  these  localities  from  personal 
observation,  but  they  are  stated  to  be  very  fine  and 
healthy,  and  mostly  well  watered.  The  natives  have  no 
antijjathy  or  objection  whatever  to  the  Portuguese,  their 
opposition  being  entirely  to  the  military  rulers  who  had 
abused  their  position;  and  recently  the  'natives  of  the 
country  of  the  Dembos,  between  Golungo  Alto  and  Duque 
de  BragauQa,  have  also  risen  in  arms  for  the  same  reason, 
and  they  have  had  tl^  advantage  so  far  in  the  struggle. 

In  the  year  1807  I  visited  Cazengo  and  Golungo  Alto, 
on  my  way  to  a  part  of  the  country  called  Lombige,  wliere 
gold  in  dust  had  been  discovered,  and  where  two  white 
men  ^^ith  a  party  of  blacks  were  "  prospecting  "  for  Senhor 
Flores.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  in  words  the  beauty 
of  the  districts  of  Cazengo  and  Golungo  Alto,  and  the 


214  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

country  about  the  Iliver  Loinbige,  a  small  tributary  of  the 
Kiver  Zenza,  as  the  Eiver  Beiigo  is  called  inland. 

Mountains  and  deep  valleys  tilled  with  magnificent  vir- 
gin forests  cover  the  country.  Streams  and  springs  of  the 
clearest  water  abound,  and  the  valleys  are  full  of  monkeys 
and  beautifully  coloured  birds  and  butterflies.  Most  won- 
derful and  vaiied  effects  of  rollino:  mists,  suni;^se  and 
sunset,  are  to  be  seen  in  this  earthly  paradise,  and  the 
clearness  and  lightness  of  the  atmosphere  are  most  exhila- 
rating and  agreeable  after  the  dull  oppressiveness  of  the 
air  on  the  coast. 

At  Cazeiigo  I  saw  the  largest  trees  I  have  ever  seen, 
and  conspicuous  amongst  these  the  cottonwood-tree  (Erio- 
dendron  anfraduo&um)  towering  to  an  immense  height 
straight  as  an  arrow,  without  the  slightest  break,  to  the 
small  branches  at  the  very  top  covered  with  feathery- 
looking  foliage,  and  studded  with  puffy  balls  like  white 
silk,  from  the  burst  seed-pods.  The  stems  and  branches 
are  thickly  studded  with  hard,  short,  conical,  sharp-pointed 
spikes,  and  at  the  base  of  the  stem  vast  flattened  buttre^ses 
project,  which  give  a  wonderful  idea  of  strength  and  sta- 
bility. In  these  grand  forests  the  splendid  j:iant  touraco 
{Turaeus  cristatus),  the  largest  of  the  tropical  African 
plantain-eaters,  finds  a  fitting  habitat,  and  from  its  great 
size  compared  with  the  other  much  smaller  species,  is 
evidence  of  the  magnificence  of  the  forests  and  scenery  of 
Cazengo  and  Gobmgo  Alto. 

I  cannot  he  p  having  a  feeling  of  reverent  affection  and 
admiration  for  this  lamily  of  birds,  whose  exquisite  plumage 
has  most  likely  been  evolved  through  ages  of  tlie  greatest 
tropical  beauty  of  dazzling  sunshine,  bright  flowers,  and 
luxuiiant  vegetation  in  lovely  valley  and  mountain  chain. 

CoHee  is  found  growing  wild  in  these  virgin  forests,  but 
it  is  confidently  believed  to  have  oeen  originally  intro- 
duced by  the  old  missionaries,  and  since  been  spread  by 
the  agency  of  monkeys  and  birds. 

Several  important  cofiee  plantations  have  been  esta- 
blished, principally  in  Cazengo,  and  with  slave  labour ;  but 
they  exist  under  great  disadvantages,  owing  to  the  want 


J 


CAZENGO.     GOLUNGO  ALTO.  215 

of  road's  and  means  of  conveyance,  this  last  bein^^  entirely 
effected  by  carriers,  who  are  difficult  to  obtain  even  at 
considerable  expense.  The  coffee  irom  the  Portuguese 
plajiters  is  all  sent  to  Doudo,  and  thence  down  thn  river 
to  Loanda  and  the  sea.  That  cropped  by  the  natives  is 
carried  by  them  ibr  sale  to  the  River  Quaiiza  and  to  Loanda, 
but  a  considerable  part  is  taken  across  the  country  all  the 
way  to  Arubriz,  where,  from  the  low  custom-house  duties, 
they  leceive  from  the  traders  a  much  larger  amount  of 
goods  and  powder  in  exchange  than  at  Loanda.  I  noticed 
on  the  natives  certain  kinds  of  cloth  customardy  passed  in 
trade  in  Ambriz,  and  I  had  a  further  proof  of  the  Caztngo 
and  Golungo  Alto  coffee  thus  going  northward,  in  the  con- 
siderable number  of  natives  recognised  in  Cazengo  hy  my 
servant,  as  having  been  seen  by  him  trading  coffee  at 
Ambriz,  his  native  place. 

The  town  of  Cazengo  consists  of  half  a  dozen  houses, 
occupied  principally  by  Portuguese  traders,  the  "  resi- 
denc.a"  or  house  of  the  "chefe,"  and  the  huts  of  a  small 
native  population.  It  is  about  two  days'  jjurney  from 
Doudo  (on  the  Kiver  Quanza),  and  the  Eiver  Lucalla  is 
passed  about  six  miles  before  arriving  there. 

The  district  of  Golungo  Alto  gives  the  same  name  to 
its  town,  which  is  most  picturesquely  situated  and  sur- 
rounded by  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  is  reached  in 
anotlier  two  days'  journey  from  Cazengo,*  through  exqui- 
site scenery.  Starting  from  the  town  of  Golungo  Alto 
in  a  northerly  direction,  I  arrived  in  the  afternoon  at  the 
Kiver  Zenza,  and  slept  a  few  miles  beyond  it  at  a  ])lace 
called  Gonguembo,  at  the  house  of  a  respectable  black, 
who  was  a  kind  of  government  official  for  that  district, 
and  who  was  married  to  a  very  comely  black  woman  from 
Loanda.  I  was  most  hospil^bly  treated  by  these  good 
people,  and  a  clean  bed  in  a  niee  airy  room  was  prepared 
for  me ;  they  would  not  accept  any  remuneration  for  their 
kindness,  so  I  had  to  content  myself  with  making  them  a 
present  of  some  handkerchiefs  1  had  with  me.  Next  day 
1  continued  to  travel  in  the  same  direction,  sleeping  at 
night  in  a  wood,  and  the  day  after  arrived  at  a  place  called 


216  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

Maj^ngo,  near  the  Eiver  LomI)ige,  there  only  a  noisy 
mountain  torrent  of  most  beautifully  clear  water.  It  was 
here  that  the  two  white  men  with  the  party  of  blacks  were 
exploring  for  gold,  and  they  had  already  obtained  a  few 
ounces  of  dust  from  the  sand  of  the  river  by  washiug  it  in 
pans  and  a  couple  of  rockers. 

The  following  morning  I  proceeded  about  ten  miles 
farther  in  the  direction  of  the  course  of  the  Lombige,  to 
another  place  where  a  little  gold  dust  had  also  been 
obtained. 

The  formation  of  the  country  from  Golungo  Alto  to 
the  auriferous  ground  of  the  Lombige  is  a  hard  clay  slate, 
in  which  I  observed  only  a  few  small  quartz  veins,  and 
in  my  opinion  it  is  a  poor  gold  country.  Not  more  than 
a  couple  of  pounds  weight  of  gold  were  obtained  after  many 
months  working,  and  the  exploration  was  finally  aban- 
doned on  the  death  of  Senhor  Flores,  which  happened  at 
the  Lombige. 

My  friend,  Mr.  Richard  Smith,  of  the  Metallurgical 
Laboratory  at  the  Koyal  School  of  Mines,  has  kindly 
assayed  a  sample  of  gold  from  Lombige,  with  the  following 
results : — 

Gold 93-860 

Silver 5-352 

Copper 0-404 


99-616 


equal  to  22 J  carats  fine. 

From  Golungo  Alto  to  the  south  the  geological  formation 
is  a  hard,  compact,  quartzose  p^ranite  rock.  At  Cazengo 
is  founa  gneiss,  granite,  and  a  hard  quartzose  slaty  rock, 
with  in  places  a  curious  rock  seemingly  composed  of  disin- 
tegrated granite  and  clay  slate.  The  strike  of  the  clay 
slate  is  about  E.  and  W.,  and  it  dips  to  the  S.S.W. 

The  few  natives  I  saw  about  the  Lombige  seemed  rather 
a  fine  race.  They  belong  to  a  tribe  called  the  Dembos, 
which  is  the  name  of  that  part  of  the  country,  and  they 
have  lately  driven  back  the  Portuguese,  who  had  attempted 


WILD  COFFEE,  217 


to  encroach  on  their  territory  with  the  customary  exactions 
of  the  "  chefes." 

To  show  that  they  bore  no  ill-will  to  the  Portuguese, 
but  only  desired  to  resist  tlie  grasping  oppression  of 
the  '*chefes,"  they  escorted  to  the  River  Zenza,  near 
Golungo  Alto,  a  small  number  of  unfortunate  troops  they 
had  surrounded,  and  who,  without  pay,  provisions,  ammu- 
nition, shoes,  or  clothing,  had  been  obliged  to  surrender, 
and  they  greatly  insulted  the  Portuguese  by  offering  to 
give  these  poor  soldiers  a  month's  pay  in  cash !  "  I  was  at 
Loanda  when  several  batches  of  soldiers,  composing  the 
so-called  expedition  to  the  Dembos,  arrived,  via  the  Kiver 
Quanza,  in  a  di.>graceful  state  of  starvation  and  rags,  and 
the  poor  devils  were  loud  in  their  complaints  of  the  way 
they  had  been  treated  and  robbed  by  their  own  govern- 
ment and  officers. 

A  more  shameful  manner  of  exposing  men  to  disease 
and  the  enemy  cannot  be  imagined.  A  local  newspaper 
at  Loanda  exposed  the  scandalous  way  in  which  the  war 
was  conducted,  and  the  merchants  represented  the  true 
state  of  the  case  to  the  government  at  Lisbon,  but  no 
attention  was  given  to  them,  as  the  governor  at  Loanda 
reported  that  there  was  nothing  going  on  in  Angola  to  call 
for  special  notice. 

The  great  forests  on  the  slopes  of  the  chains  of  moun- 
tains and  valleys  of  the  country  about  Golungo  Alto  and 
the  Dembos  are  also  full  of  coffee  trees  growing  wild,  and 
they  are  gradually  being  cleared  of  bush  or  underwood  by 
the  natives  so  as  to  enable  them  to  collect  the  berry.  I 
did  not  hear  anywhere  that  they  had  taken  to  planting 
coffee,  nor  are  they  likely  to  do  so  as  long  as  they  can 
find  it  growing  wild.  As  far  as  has  been  ascertained, 
wild  coffee  is  only  found  growing  in  the  forests  of  the 
country  of  the  second  elevation  from  the  coast,  nor  does  it 
grow  well  in  the  littoral  region,  where  the  air  is  much 
too  dry  :  it  is  a  plant  requiring  a  moist  heat  and  the  shade 
of  large  trees ;  and  a  certain  amount  of  elevation  above 
the  level  of  the  sea  may  possibly  have  something  to  do 
with  its  proper  growth. 


218  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 

The  future  production  of  coffee  on  the  whole  West  Coast 
of  Africa  might  be  simply  unlimited,  as  far  as  extent  of 
ground  eminently  suitable  for  its  cultivation  is  concerned  : 
it  becomes  only  a  question  of  time  and  labour.  The  coffee 
plant  is  not  the  only  one  formerly  introduced  by  tlie  mis- 
sionaries or  Portuguese,  which  has  spread  itself  over  a 
large  extent  of  country  in  xVngola,  as  I  saw  beautiful 
watercress  growing  wild,  most  luxuriantly  in  several  of  tlie 
rivulets  and  wot  places  in  Cazengo,  and  Dr.  Welwitsch 
found  parsley  and  fennel  growing  wild  abundantly  at 
Punofo  AndonGfO. 

Cazengo  lias  been  celebrated  from  time  immemorial  for 
its  iron,  smelted  by  the  natives,  and  the  bellows  (Plate  XI.) 
employed  in  the  process  appears  to  date  from  the  earliest 
times,  being  in  fact  identical  with  that  used  by  the 
ancient  Egyptians. 

The  object  of  the  double  arrangement  is  to  obtain  a 
constant  current  of  air  from  the  nozzle ;  there  are  no 
valves  in  it,  and  the  tops  of  the  cylinders  are  tightly  closed 
with  a  peak-shaped  cover  of  sheepskin  in  which  there  is 
no  hole  or  aperture.  They  are  worked  alternately  and 
very  rapidly,  and  blow  into  a  baked  clay  tuyere  about 
twelve  inches  long,  of  which  the  under  end  is  much 
wider  than  the  nozzle  of  the  bellows  that  just  rests  inside 
it ;  the  object  of  this  is  apparent,  as,  from  the  bellows 
having  no  valve  for  the  admission  of  air,  which  therefore 
enters  it  through  the  nozzle,  were  this  to  fit  tightly  in  the 
tuyere  it  would  alternately  blow  into  and  draw  air  from 
the  lire.  For  ordinary  blacksmith's  work  the  forge  is  simply 
a  small  round  cavity  scooped  out  in  the  ground,  the  fuel 
being  charcoal,  and  in  this,  with  one  bellow^s,  a  welding 
heat  is  obtained,  and  they  are  enabled  to  make  hoes, 
&c.,  out  of  ordinary  iron  hooping  or  other  waste  scrap- 
iron. 

Iron  smelting  from  the  ore  is  but  little  practised  now 
in  Angola,  as  the  iron  hooping  from  bales  obtained  from 
the  traders  nearly  suffices  for  the  few  purposes  for 
which  this  useful  metal  is  required ;  but  I  once  had  the 
opportunity  whilst  travelling  of  seeing  the  operation  of 


BELLOWS — RIARIMIiA — NATIVE   SMITHS —KAT-TKA P. 


To  face  page  213. 


IRON  SMELTING.  219 

smelting  going  on  at  Cazengo,  and  of  obtaining  the  follow- 
ing information  on  the  process.  There  was  no  furnace 
proper,  simply  a  somewhat  larger  excavation  in  the  ground, 
with  three  ptlir  of  bellows  hard  at  work  at  equal  distances 
round  it.  There  was  neither  cover  nor  chimney  to  the 
fire,  which  was  fed  with  charcoal.  The  ironstone  was  a 
gossan y-looking  brown  ore,  and  was  broken  into  bits  about 
the  size  of  small  walnuts. 

I  was  informed  that  the  first  operation  took  some  hours, 
and  did  not  reduce  the  iron  to  the  fused  state,  but  only  to 
an  apparently  metallic  spongy  condition,  without  much 
diminution  in  the  size  of  the  pieces.  These  reduced  pieces 
are  separated  from  those  only  imperfectly  acted  on,  the 
latter  being  again  submitted  to  the  first  process  with  fresh 
ore ;  the  former  are  then  raised  to  a  high  heat  and  welded 
together  with  a  hammer,  on  a  block  of  iron  for  an  anvil, 
into  a  small  bar. 

In  the  management  of  the  fire,  and  in  welding,  the 
natives  employ  water  and  sand  in  the  same  way  that  our 
smiths  do.  The  bellows  and  the  tuyere  are  slightly  in- 
clined downwards,  and  are  secured  to  the  ground  by  strong- 
stakes  driven  into  it  on  each  side,  to  which  are  attached 
cross  pieces  passing  over  the  bellows  and  tuyere.  (Plate 
XL).  1  have  seen  these  bellows  in  every  part  of  Angola,  and 
in  lioango  and  Cabinda,  north  of  the  Kiver  Congo,  among 
tribes  speaking  entirely  different  languages,  but  it  is  of 
exactly  the  same  pattern  everywhere. 

The  natives  of  the  interior,  like  those  of  Loanda,  that  is 
to  say,  ot  the  country  comprised  between  the  Rivers  Dande 
and  Quanza,  speak  the  Bunda  language.  The  division  on 
the  latter  river  is  very  marked,  the  Quissamas  and  the 
Libollos  on  the  southern  bank  speaking  a  distinct  language. 
The  natives  beyond  the  Eiver  Dande  speak  the  Congo 
language,  and  its  dialects  of  Ambriz  and  Mossulo. 

This  large  Bunda-speaking  population  offers  points  of 
great  interest,  and  most  strongly  and  favourably  impresses 
the  observer,  auguring  well  for  its  future  civilization  as  far 
as  it  can  go.  It  speaks  volumes  for  the  superiority  of  this 
part  of  the  negro  species  to  know  that  very  fair  reading 


220  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

and  writing  in  Portuguese  has  been  handed  down  from 
father  to  son  from  the  time  of  the  former  missionaries  to 
the  present  day. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  admire  and  honour  the  wonderful 
work  of'those  good  men.  Palpable  signs  of  their  industry, 
and  of  their  example  and  teaching,  may  still  be  seen 
everywhere  in  Angola.  Plantations  of  cocoa-nut  and  oil- 
palm  trees,  groves  of  orange,  lemon,  and  other  fruit  trees, 
the  introduction  of  the  coffee  and  other  useful  plants,  the 
ruins  of  extensive  monasteries  with  which  were  associated 
their  schools  of  industrial  arts,  all  bear  witness  to  their 
good  work,  and  last  but  not  least  the  love  and  veneration 
in  which  their  name  is  held  amongst  all  classes  of  blacks, 
who  consider  a  padre  almost  as  a  god ; — their  name  for  a 
priest  is  Ngana  Nganga  (God's  sir),  Ngana  being  "  Senhor," 
sir,  and  Nganga  their  word  for  God. 

Although  as  completely  imbued  as  their  more  uncivi- 
lized brethren  with  the  belief  and  practice  of  '* fetishes" 
of  all  kinds,  they  still  retain  many  of  the  usages  taught 
them  by  the  missionaries ; — they  will  hav^e  their  children 
baptized  by  a  padre  to  give  them  one  or  more  Saint*s 
names,  and  though  they  will  call  a  girl  or  boy  such  a 
name  as  *•  Thursday,"  if  he  or  she  happens  to  have  been 
born  ofi  that  week-da}^  or  the  name  of  a  tree  or  plant, 
or  place,  or  any  circumstance  they  may  fancy  connected 
with  its  birth,  yet  it  must  also  bcvar  the  name  of  Antonio 
Domingos,  or  Maria  Roza,  or  some  other  favourite  com- 
bination of  Portuguese  Christian  names.  The  christening 
is  celebrated  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  sponsors, 
and,  as  is  customary  in  Catholic  countries,  these  will  not 
intermarry  or  live  together  as  man  and  wife,  or  with  the 
parents  of  the  child. 

A  sheet  of  foolscap  paper  is  a  very  usual  article  to 
receiv^e  from  the  traders  with  other  goods  in  barter  for 
produce ;  this  they  roll  up  carefully,  and  hang  by  a  bit  of 
string  to  their  stick  or  pack. 

I^or  pen  they  use  the  quill  of  any  bird ;  their  ink  is 
charcoal  or  burnt  ground-nuts  ground  fine  with  the  juice 
of  the  wild  tomato ;  for  wax  or  gum  they  use  the  very 


CUSTOMS.  221 


sticky  mass  enveloping  the  seeds  of  a  beautiful  red-flowering 
parasite  (Loranthus  sp.). 

These  natives  are  extremely  fond  of  writing  to  one 
another,  and  also  to  the  "chefes"  or  authorities,  and 
their  letters  and  petitions  are  sometimes  most  amusing 
and  laughable,  as  they  have  the  usual  love  of  their  race 
for  pompous  or  high-sounding  words  and  phrases. 

Ibey  are  fond,  on  oceasions,  of  wearing  coats  and 
trousers,  often  made  of  very  extraordinary  quality  and 
patterns  of  cloth,  and  boots  and  shoes.  Their  houses  ch.* 
huts,  and  customs  otherwise  are  not  distinguishable  from 
those  of  the  natives  of  other  parts  of  Angola. 

A  curious  hard- wood  shrub  (Decamera  Jovis-ionantis, 
Welw.),  called  by  the  natives  Ndui,  is  considered  a  sure  pre- 
servative against  lightning,  and  branches  of  it  are  placed 
on  the  huts  to  save  them  from  being  struck  by  the  electric 
fluid.  This  belief  is  peculiar  to  the  Jiunda-speaking  race. 
It  is  also  only  among  these  people  that  tapioca  is  pre- 
pared, though  rarely,  from  the  starch  of  the  mandioca-root, 
by  drying  it  over  iron  or  copper  plates. 

A  very  singular  custom  is  common  to  them  and  to  the 
natives  of  Novo  Eedondo  farther  south.  When  a  relative 
or  other  person  visits  them,  a  dish  of  "infundi  "  or  '*pirao" 
is  prepared,  and  should  there  not  be  a  bit  of  meat  or  fish 
in  the  larder  (no  uncommon  circumstance  by  the  })ye) 
they  send  out  to  a  neighbour  for  the  *'  lent  rat"  as  it  is 
called.  This  is  a  field  rat  roasted  on  a  skewer,  and  it  is 
presented  to  the  guest  who,  holding  tiie  skewer  in  his 
left  hand,  dabs  bits  of  the  "  infundi "  on  the  rat  before  he 
swallows  them,  as  if  to  give  them  a  flavour,  but  he  is  very 
careful  not  to  eat  the  rat,  or  even  the  smallest  particle  of 
it,  as  this  would  be  considered  a  great  crime  and  offence, 
and  would  be  severely  punished  by  tlieir  laws.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  the  host  has  duly  preserved  the  dignity  of  his 
house  and  position,  and  has  performed  the  rites  of  hos- 
pitality in  presenting  his  guest  with  meat  and  "infundi," 
though  he  has  not  tasted  a  morsel  of  the  former,  which  is 
returned  intact  to  the  owner  from  whom  it  was  borrowed. 
This  example  of  a  sham  knowingly  played  by  both  host 


222  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEIi  CONGO. 

and  guest  as  an  act  of  politeness,  seems  very  curious  in 
the  extremely  unsopliisticated  state  of  the  negro : — in  our 
superior  state  of  society,  shams  as  patent  to  all  are  too 
common  to  attract  attention. 

The  Bunda-speaking  natives  of  Angola  are  extremely 
indolent  :  by  the  better  class,  suck  as  those  who  can 
read  and  write,  it  is  considered  derogatory  to  perform  any 
manual  work  whatever.  A  little  trading  in  wax  or  other 
produce  is  the  most  they  indulge  in,  and  this  is  principally 
made  the  means  of  obtaining  goods  or  money  on  credit 
from  the  traders,  or  in  some  other  way  imposing  on  them. 
They  are  specially  clever  at  any  little  roguery  of  this  kind. 

In  the  mornings,  the  rising  generation  may  be  seen 
assembled  in  groups  squatted  on  the  ground,  wrapped  up 
in  a  cotton  cloth  manufactured  in  the  country,  and  \vith  a 
printed  alphabet  in  their  hands  lazily  learning  their  letters. 

No  inducement  that  I  could  offer  of  pay  or  anything  else, 
whilst  I  was  exploring  in  Carabambe,  would  make  them 
work,  and  aS  their  style  of  living  is  exactly  the  same  as 
that  of  other  blacks,  the  plantations,  tended  by  their  w^omen 
and  female  slaves,  suffice  them  for  their  daily  wants.  I 
lived  on  beans  for  a  week  on  that  occasion,  as  I  would  not 
pay  half  a  sovereign  in  money  or  cloth  for  a  single  fowl, 
and  sheep  and  goats  in  proportion.  When  the  tax-gatherer 
came  round  with  the  soldiers,  and  they  had  not  the 
wherewithal  to  pay  him,  I  had  my  revenge,  and  bought 
a  large  number  of  fowls  at  a  penny  each^  goats  and  sheep 
at  about  a  shilling  a  head,  and  fat  oxen  at  five  to  ten 
shillings  each,  from  the  very  blacks  who  a  day  or  two 
before  had  refused  to  sell  oxen  at  any  price,  and  fowls,  &c., 
only  at  such  exorbitant  prices. 

I  had  to  provide  food  for  the  forty  or  fifty  blacks  wdio 
were  with  me,  and  an  ox  was  generally  killed  every  day 
for  them,  but  not  being  used  to  so  much  animal  food  it 
did  not  agree  with  them.  One  morning  they  came  to 
me  headed  by  an  old  native  of  Ambaca,  who  presented  me 
with*a  petition  written  in  high-flown  language,  praying 
that  I  would  not  give  them  any  more  meat,  but  that  I 
would  order  beans  and  '^infundi"  to  be  cooked  for  their 


NATIVES.  223 


rations  instead.  Of  course,  I  assented  to  the  desired  change, 
which,  moreover,  was  more  economical. 

The  natives  of  Pungo  Andongo  are  the  most  deceitful, 
and  the  worst  generally.  Those  of  the  district  of  Ambaca, 
contiguous  to  Cazengo  and  Golungo  Alto,  are  a  very  ex- 
traordinary set  of  blacks.  They  are  distinguished  by  a 
peculiar  expression  of  countenance,  manner,  and  speech, 
which  enables  them  to  be  at  once  recognised  as  surely  as 
a  raw  Irishman  or  Scotchman  is  with  us.  They  are  the 
deverest  natives  of  Angola,  speak  and  read  and  write 
Portuguese  best  of  any,  are  the  greatest  cheats  of  all, 
and  are  well  described  by  the  Portuguese  as  the  Jews 
and  gipsies  of  Angola.  They  are  the  greatest  traders  in 
the  country,  and  collect  and  deal  in  all  manner  of  hides, 
skins,  and  other  articles,  for  which  they  travel  great 
distances  and  amongst  other  tribes.  They  will  least  of 
all  work  at  any  manual  labour ;  trade  and  roguery  are 
their  forte,  and  they  have  often  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
otlier  tribes  for  their  cupidity. 

During  a  famine,  a  few  years  back,  in  the  Q.uissama 
country,  wdiich  the  Ambaquistas  (as  the  natives  of  Ambaca 
are  called)  used  to  visit  with  farinha,  &c.,  for  the  purpose 
of  purchasing  rock-salt  to  trade  with  in  other  places, 
they  bought  a  large  number  of  the  Quissamas  as  slaves, 
at  the  rate  of  a  small  measure  of  meal  each ;  but  the  suc- 
ceeding season,  on  a  number  of  Ambaquistas  going  to 
Quissama,  they  were  robbed,  flogged,  branded  with  hot 
irons,  and  otherwise  tortured  and  punished,  and  finally  put 
into  canoes  and  started  down  the  river,  arriving  at 
Muxima  in  a  lamentable  condition,  and  only  a  few  recovered 
from  their  ill-treatment.  This  revenge  was  taken  by 
the  Quissamas  because  the  Ambaquistas  took  advantage  of 
their  dire  necessity  for  food  to  buy  their  sons  and  daughters 
as  slaves  for  small  portions  of  meal.  To  the  present  day, 
to  vex  an  Ambaquista,  it  is  sufficient  to  ask  him  if  he  has 
any  Quissama  rock-salt  for  sale ! 

Of  course,  tiiey  have  never  been  to  Quissama  since ; 
and  should  the  Portuguese  desire  to  conquer  that  country, 
as  yet  not  reduced  to  submission,  they  could  count  upon 


224  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lUVER  CONGO. 

a  largo  contingent  of  volunteers  from  Ambaca.  Ambaca 
is  said  to  be  comparatively  flat,  but  very  fertile,  and  it 
has  lately  been  sending  a  large  quantity  of  ground-nuts 
to  the  River  Quanza. 

In  Cazengo  and  Pungo  Andongo,  the  largest  gourds 
I  Lave  ever  seen  are  grown,  which  when  dried  are  em- 
ployed by  the  natives  as  vessels  to  carry  oil,  water, 
*'  garapa,"  or  other  liquids  ;  or,  the  top  being  cut  off,  are 
used  as  baskets  for  meal,  beans,  &c.  I  have  seen  them 
so  large  that  they  were  enclosed  in  a  rope-net,  antl 
when  iuU  of  "  garapa  "  or  water  were  a  good  load  for  two 
men  to  carry,  slung  to  a  pole  on  their  shoulders.  The 
plants  are  generally  trained  up  the  sides  and  on  the  grass 
roofs  of  the  hut.«,  on  which  they  produce  a  plentiful  crop 
of  flowers  and  fruit.  I  have  also  seen  the  gourds  sup- 
ported on  a  kind  of  nest  of  dry  straw  or  giass,  placed  in 
the  fork  of  a  three-branched  stick  stuck  in  the  ground. 

Cotton  is  grown  sparingly  everywhere.  It  is  picked 
from  the  seeds  and  beaten  on  the  ground  with  a  switch 
to  open  it  out,  and  then  spun  by  hand.  This  was  the 
constant  employment  of  the  natives,  particularly  of  the 
womefn  and  girls,  but  quite  lately  this  industry  has 
greatly  fallen  off,  owing  to  the  greater  importation  of 
Manchester  goods.  The  cotton-thread  was  woven  by  the 
natives  into  strong  thick  cloths,  but  these  are  now  not 
easy  to  obtain  for  the  same  reason. 

Food  is  most  abundant: — mandioca,  maize,  beans, 
massango  (a  land  of  millet),  ground-nuts,  &c.,  growing 
with  the  greatest  luxuriance  in  the  fertile  ground  and 
lovely  climate.  Beautiful  and  tame  cattle  are  easily 
reared,  as  well  as  sheep,  goats,  and  poultry  ;  but,  as  usual, 
the  great  indolence  of  the  natives  prevents  them  from 
availing  themselves  of  the  wonderful  capabilities  of  the 
soil  and  climate  to  any  but  an  infinitesimal  degree. 

It  is  rare  to  see  any  stores  of  food,  so  that  if,  as  some- 
times happens,  especially  in  the  littoral  region,  the  rains 
should  fail,  a  famine  is  the  result,  and  hundreds  die. 

When  a  little  indian-corn  or  other  seed  is  kept,  it  is 
enclosed  in  large,  smooth,  spindle-shaped  masses  of  long 


PRODUCTIONS.  225 


straw,  and  these  are  hung  to  the  branches  of  the  trees. 
The  straw  keeps  the  wet  from  entering  to  the  corn,  and 
it  also  keeps  out  rats,  as,  should  they  run  down  the  short 
rope,  they  slip  off  the  straw  and  tumble  to  the  ground. 

Large  and  small  pots  for  cooking  and  holding  water 
are  made  in  many  places.  They  are  made  of  clay,  and 
are  burnt  by  being  built  up  in  a  heap  in  the  open  air 
with  dry  grass  and  covered  with  the  same,  which  is  then 
set  on  tire  and  allowed  to  burn  out ;  when  cold,  the  pots 
are  found  completely  baked,  without  the  use  of  anything 
like  a  kiln.  Clay  pipes  for  smoking  are  also  made,  and 
burnt  in  the  same  manner  (Plate  V.). 

Many  of  the  towns  in  the  interior,  in  the  more  out-of- 
the-way  places,  are  completely  isolated  for  several  months 
by  the  growth  of  the  high  grass  towards  the  end  of  the 
rainy  and  the  beginning  of  the  dry  season.  In  travelling, 
it  is  the  custom  of  the  guides  to  lay  a  handful  of  grass  on 
the  paths  that  they  wish  the  rest  of  the  party  to  avoid ; 
and  this  is  the  universal  practice  of  the  natives  all  over 
Angola,  to  indicate  the  path  to  be  taken  by  others  fol- 
lowing them,  and  which  from  the  height  of  the  grass  and 
the  number  of  intersecting  paths,  would  be  difficult  to 
keep  without  some  such  mark.  Blacks,  of  course,  never 
travel  but  in  single  file,  and  I  was  once  asked  by  a 
negro  the  reason  why  white  men  always  walked  side  by 
side,  and  not  one  behind  tlie  other  as  they  did,  but  my 
reply  failed  to  convince  him  of  the  advantage  of  our  plan. 

For  some  years  the  "  chefes "  have  had  the  paths 
leading  from  each  capital  town  of  their  divisions  kept 
clear  of  grass  and  weeds  for  a  breadth  of  from  six  to 
twelve  feet  by  the  natives  of  the  town  nearest  it,  but 
even  then  the  blacks  not  only  walk  in  single  file,  but, 
what  is  very  curious,  tread  out  and  follow  a  winding  path 
in  it  from  side  to  side.  Their  own  ])aths  are  never  straight 
but  invariably  serpentine,  and  this  habit  or  instinct  is 
followed  even  when  a  broad,  straight  road  is  offered  them. 

Whilst  I  was  at  Cambambe,  a  somewhat  eccentric 
Portuguese  (not  a  military  man)  was  "chefe"  of  Pungo 
Andongo,  and  he  took  it  into  his  head  that  he  would 

Q 


22G  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  MIVER  CONGO, 

break  the  natives  of  this  habit  of  walkin<^  in  single  file, 
and  he  actually  fined  and  otherwise  punished  a  number 
of  them,  but,  of  course,  he  never  succeeded  in  making 
them  alter  the  custom  except  when  passing  before  his  |j 
house.  The  blacks  will  never  move  a  stone  or  other  im-  ' 
pediment  in  the  road.  If  a  tree  or  brancli  fall  on  it,  and 
it  is  too  large  to  walk  over  comfortably,  no  one  pushes  it 
aside,  however  easy  such  an  operation  may  be,  but  they 
deviate  from  the  [^ath  and  walk  round  it,  and  this  devia- 
tion continues  to  be  used  ever  after,  although  the  obstacle 
may  rot  away  or  be  otherwise  removed. 

1  twice  saw  in  Cambambe  the  remarkable  "spit-frog" 
described  by  Dr.  Livingstone.  This  insect  is  of  the  same 
shape  as  the  ordinary  British  "  spit-frog,"  but  is  quite 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  Its  scientific  name  is 
Ftyelus  olivaceus.  The  larvaB,  like  the  British  species,  have 
tlie  property  of  secreting  a  copious  watery  iroth,  in  which 
they  envelop  themselves,  a  number  being  found  together 
on  a  thin  twig  or  branch,  and  the  amount  of  water  secreted 
is  so  great  as  to  drop  constantly  from  the  branch  on  which 
they  are  living,  so  that  the  ground  beneath  becomes  quite 
wet.  Though  the  amount  of  water  abstracted  from  the 
atmosphere  is  something  enormous  for  so  small  a  crea- 
ture, the  very  hygioscopic  state  of  the  air  there  is  quite 
sufficient  to  account  for  its  source. 

Lizards  are  very  abundant  on  the  rocks,  and  there  are 
some  very  pretty  and  brightly-coloured  species.  Chameleons 
are  also  abundant,  and  the  natives  are  everywhere  afraid 
to  touch  them  ;  tlie  Mushicongos  believe  that  if  they  once 
fasten  on  the  wool  of  a  black's  head,  nothing  can  take 
them  off,  and  that  they  are  poisonous ;  but  their  dislike  of 
these  harmless  creatures  does  not  prevent  tliem  from 
trying  a  curious  though  cruel  experiment — the  quick 
and  mortal  action  of  nicotine  on  them.  They  insert  a  bit 
of  straw  or  grass  into  the  wooden  stems  of  their  pipes,  so 
as  to  remove  a  small  portion  of  the  nicotine  and  other 
products  of  the  combustion  of  the  tobacco,  and  when  the 
poor  chameleon  opens  its  jaws  in  fear,  they  pass  the  moist- 
ened straw.across  its  tongue  and  mouth,  and  in  a  very  few 


PRODUCTIONS.  227 


seconds  it  turns  on  its  side,  stiffens,  and  is  quite  dead. 
This  very  small  quantity  of  the  poison  is  wonderfully 
rapid  in  its  fatal  action. 

The  ground  is  cultivated  with  a  hoe  like  that  described 
in  use  about  Ambriz,  but  with  a  double  instead  of  a  single 
handle  (Plate  XIV.). 

The  natives,  like  those  of  the  country  to  the  north,  eat 
considerable  quantities  of  the  ground-nut,  and  from  the 
following  analysis  by  B.  Corenwinder  (*  Journal  de  Pharm. 
et  Chiraies '  4th  series,  xviii.  14)  its  great  value  as  an  article 
of  food  is  apparent : — 

Water 676 

Oil 5P75 

Nitrogenous  matter  .....  21*80 

Non-nitrogenous  matter  containing  starch     .  17*66 

Phosphoric  acid    ....      0'64  \  „^ 
Potash,  chlorine,  magnesia,  &c.         .     1*39  J 


100-00 


The  proportion  of  phosphoric  acid  found  in 

the  perfectly  white  ash  was       .  .  .     31*53% 

I  am  convinced  tliat,  from  the  amount  of  nitrogenous 
matter,  and  the  form  in  which  the  large  quantity  of  oil  is 
masked  in  the  ground-nut,  its  use  by  invalids  and  persons 
of  delicate  constitution  would  be  attended  witli  valuab  e 
results.  The  nuts  are  delicious  simply  roasted,  or,  better 
still,  afterwards  covered  with  a  little  sugar  dried  on  them 
in  the  pan. 

A  small  plant  bearing  pods  containing  one  or  two 
roundish  seeds,  and  like  the  gronnd-nut  ripening  beneath 
the  soil,  is  also  sparingly  cultivated  in  C<imbambe  and 
the  surrounding  districts.  It  is  the  Voandzeia  suhterranea 
of  botanists. 

The  round  fruit,  about  the  size  of  a  small  apple,  of  a 
handsome  leaved  plant  is  employed  by  the  natives  of  the 
same  places  for  washing  their  cloths,  &c.,  instead  of 
soap,  and  Dr.  Welwitsch  numed  the  plant  the  Solarium 
saponaceum  from  this  circumstance. 

Q  2 


(    228     ) 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

mVER  QUANZA  —  CALUMBO  —  BRUTO  —  MUXIMA  —  MAS- 
SANGANO  —  DONDO  —  FALLS  OF  CAMBAMBE  —  DANCES — 
MUSICAL     INSTRUMENTS  —  QUISSAMA  —  LIBOLLO. 

The  River  Qnanza  is  the  gem  of  the  Portuguese  possession 
of  Angola.  South  of  the  great  River  Zaire,  or  Congo,  it 
is  the  only  river  navigable  for  any  distance,  and  is  the 
natural  highway  to  the  most  fertile  and  liealthy  countries 
of  the  interior,  yet  such  has  been  the  apathy  of  the  Portu- 
guese, and  so  utterly  and  culpably  neglectful  have  they 
been  in  developing  the  vast  resources  of  their  rich  pos- 
session?, that,  till  the  year  1866,  only  an  insignificant 
amount  of  produce  or  trade  came  to  Loanda  by  that 
river. 

Mr.  Augustus  Archer  Silva,  an  American,  long  esta- 
blished in  business  at  Loanda,  obtained  from  the  Portu- 
guese Government  a  concession  for  the  steam  navigation 
of  the  river,  after  great  trouble  and  opposition,  and  on  the 
21st  of  September,  1866, 1  accompanied  him  in  the  steamer 
'*  Andrade  "  on  her  first  trip  to  the  Quanza. 

AVe  started  from  Loanda  at  midnight,  and  arrived  at 
about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  opposite  the  bar,  where 
a  dozen  of  the  so-called  bar  pilots  came  on  board,  and  a 
more  surprising  manner  of  coming  through  the  heavy 
surf  that  breaks  over  it  can  hardly  be  imagined. 

On  their  knees,  and  squatted  on  their  heels,  each  on  a 
perfectly  flat,  plain  piece  of  thick  board,  about  eiglit  or 
nine  feet  long  and  two  or  three  feet  wide,  evidently  the 
bottom  of  an  old  canoe,  the  blacks  pushed  off  from  the 
shore,  and  with  a  single-bladed  paddle  propelled  their 
primitive  boats  to  the  steamer,  a  distance  of  over  a  mile. 


THE  RIVER  QUANZA.  229 

At  hi^i^h  tide  there  was  sufficient  depth,  of  water,  and  the 
"Andrade"  steamed  safely  into  the  river.  Our  trip  that 
time  was  only  as  far  as  a  place  called  Bruto,  about 
thirty  miles  up  the  river,  and  we  returned  to  Loanda  in  a 
few  days,  the  steamer  decorated  with  flags  and  branches 
of  palm-trees,  making  her  look  like  a  floating  island. 

This  trip  was  the  commencement  of  the  most  important 
era  in  the  modern  development  of  Angola.  The  great 
and  yearly  increasing  trade  on  that  river  is  entirely  due 
to  its  steam  navigation,  and  fostered  principally  by  the 
efforts  of  its  spirited  promoter. 

The  trade  of  Loancla  has  since  increased  to  a  wonderful 
extent,  and  has  enabled  the  province  to  pay  its  own 
expenses,  which  were  formerly  supplemented  by  a  grant 
from  Portugal. 

Several  large  and  small  steamers  hardly  suffice  to  bring 
to  Loanda  the  large  quantity  of  palm-oil,  palm-kernel, 
coffee,  ground-nuts,  and  other  produce  from  that  river. 
Mr.  Silva  has  unfortunately  lately  died  on  his  way  home, 
unrewarded  by  Portugal  for  his  signal  services  to  Angola ; 
and  it  is  to  be  feared  tliat  his  widow  even  will  not  receive 
any  recognition  of  the  great  benefits  that  his  long  years 
of  disinterested  efforts  so  justly  merit. 

My  first  visit  to  the  itiver  Quanza  was  in  1859,  when 
almost  the  only  trader  there  was  a  Portuguese  of  the  name 
of  Manoel  Lobato,  established  at  Massangano. 

Travelling  was  then  performed  in  a  large  canoe,  with 
two  or  three  or  four  blacks,  who  punted  it  with  long  poles 
along  the  sides  of  the  banks.  The  trip  from  Caluinbo  to 
Dondo  used  to  be  perfornied  in  this  way  in  about  six  days, 
and  very  pleasant  indeed  it  was.  Only  a  few  barges  used 
to  leave  the  river  for  Loanda  with  produce,  and  these 
would  sometimes  remain  at  the  bar  for  weeks,  under  the 
excuse  of  waiting  for  a  good  bar,  but  generally  from  the 
attractions  of  a  small  town  near,  where  the  crews  (natives 
of  Cabinda)  would  stop  and  amuse  themselves.  Even  of 
canoes  there  were  but  few,  and  the  banks  were  consequently 
covered  with  different  kinds  of  waterfowl  and  other  birds, 
and  on  several  occasions  when  I  subsequently  had  to  travel 


230  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

in  a  canoe  on  this  river,  I  used  to  supply  myself  and  the 
half-d-dozen  blacks  with  me  with  abundance  of  ibod  in  the 
shape  of  ducks,  &c.,  simply  by  shooting  them  off  the  banks 
or  111  the  water  as  we  went  along.  In  the  mornin<58  I 
would  walk  for  miles  along  the  river  side,  under  the  shade 
of  the  tiiick  palm  forest. 

With  the  steamers  and  increased  traffic  it  is  more  rare 
to  see  birds  on  the  banks  in  the  same  numbers  ;  they  have 
mostly  taken  to  the  lagoons  and  marshy  places  extensively 
bordering  this  beautiful  river. 

The  mouth  of  the  lliver  Quanza  is  about  fifty  miles 
south  of  Loanda;  the  course  of  the  river  is  then  so  far 
northerly,  that  a  well-kept  path  or  road  south  from  Loanda 
reaches  it  at  a  distance  of  twenty-one  miles  at  a  place 
called  Calumbo.  This  road  to  Calumbo  used  formerly  to 
be  much  infested  with  lions,  but  with  the  greatly  increased 
traffic  they  are  seldom  now  seen  or  heard  of.  Lions  used 
to  come  close  to  Loanda  even,  and  I  was  shown  a  walled 
enclosure  which  one  had  cleared,  dragging  a  calf  with  him 
over  it.  The  blacks  always  use  the  word  "Ngaoa,"  or 
*•  Sir,"  when  speaking  of  the  lion,  as  they  believe  that  he  is 
**  fetish/'  and  would  not  fail  to  punish  them  for  their  want 
of  respect  if  they  omitted  to  do  so. 

The  scenery  on  this  road  is  very  pretty,  but  is  of  the 
same  character  as  that  of  the  littoral  region  at  Ambriz 
and  Mossulo ;  gigantic  baobabs,  euphorbias,  aloes,  prickly 
shrubs  and  trees,  delicate  creepers,  and  hard,  wiry  grass. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Calumbo  there  are 
large  mangrove  marshes,  and  there  is  a  native  town  called 
Tumbo,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  mostly  engaged  as 
pilots,  mangrove  wood-cutters,  and  fishermen. 

The  mangrove  tree  grows  here  to  a  large  size,  and  is 
cut  and  sent  to  Loanda  for  beams,  piles,  &c. ;  the  longer 
thin  trees  are  also  in  great  request  for  roof  timbers, 
scaffoldings,  and  other  uses.  The  mangrove  is  a  very  hard 
and  heavy  wood ;  a  pole  of  it  sinks  in  water  almost  like  a 
bar  of  iron,  and  it  is  magnificent  ior  fuel.  It  is  sent  to 
Loanda  in  rafts  floated  out  of  the  river  to  the  sea,  and 
navigated  with  a  sail. 


CALUMBO.  231 


As  the  man srrove- wood  is  so  heavy,  the  natives  first 
make  a  bed  of  palm-stems,  which  are  also  vahiable  ibr 
hammock-poles,  roofs,  &c.,  and  on  these  the  mangrove 
timber  is  piled,  and  all  securely  tied  together  with  tough 
creeper-stems.  These  rafts,  called  "  balpas,"  are  worth  at 
Loanda  Irom  200^.  to  3007.  and  upwards  each. 

Calnmbo  boasts  of  a  "  chefe,"  and  of  the  most  voracious 
mosquitoes  in  Angola. 

There  is  a  considerable  assemblafje  of  huts  and  mud- 
plasteied  houses  at  Calumbo,  belonging  to  the  native 
population,  but  the  river  floods  the  whole  place  almost 
every  year.  There  is  also  a  beautiful  avenue  of  cocoa-nut- 
palm  trees  planted  by  the  old  missionaries,  who  appear 
to  have  had  an  extensive  establishment  here,  but  all  that 
remains  of  it  at  the  present  day  is  a  pretty  church  iu 
very  good  repair,  and  picturesquely  situated  on  a  slight 
eminence  on  the  banks  of  the  river  about  a  mile  from 
Calumbo.  The  low  ground  about  Calumbo  is  exceedingly 
fertile,  and  is  beautifully  cultivated  immediately  alter 
the  floods. 

The  best  land  is  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river; 
on  the  northern  bank  there  is  but  little  ground  under 
cultivation,  and  the  marshes  are  left  to  breed  clouds  of 
mosquitoes. 

The  river  from  its  mouth  to  Calumbo  p)asses  through 
level  country,  and  the  banks  are  covered  with  mangrove, 
'*bordao"  palm,  and  other  trees  and  plants.  The  man- 
grove disappears  before  arriving  at  Calumbo,  where  the 
water  is  perfectly  sweet,  and  the  banks  are  mostly  bare 
or  lined  with  sedges  and  papyrus.  The  appearance  of  the 
low,  hilly  ground  behind  is  very  much  like  that  of  the 
cliffs  on  the  sea  shore,  being  mostly  covered  with  a  perfect 
forest  of  baobabs.  At  Calumbo  there  grew  a  baobab  with 
a  monstrous  trunk:  this  was  with  great  difiiculty  cut 
down  by  order  of  the  vandalic  idiot  of  a  "chefe,"  who 
objected  to  the  leviathan  tree  because  it  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  road  along  the  bank  of  the  river ! 

A  few  miles  higher  up  the  river  we  arrive  at  Bruto, 
belonging  to  my   friend    Senhor   Felicianno    da    Silva 


232  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

Oliveira,  who  has  there  a  magnificent  sugar-cane  plan- 
tation, distillery,  and  farm,  and  also  does  a  consider- 
able trade  with  the  natives  in  ground-nuts  and  other 
produce.  This  gentleman  is  Avell  known  as  one  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  energetic  industrial  explorers  of 
Angola.  I  knew  him  first  in  Eenguella  Velha,  where  he 
had  extensive  cotton  plantations,  &c. ;  but,  convinced  of 
the  great  resources  of  the  River  Quanza,  lie  started  some 
years  back  the  cultivation  of  sugar-cane  at  Bruto  with 
complete  success,  but  entailing  incessant  work  that  only 
those  who  have  any  experience  of  the  vast  difficulties  of 
such  an  undertaking,  without  capital  and  in  a  wild  country, 
can  appreciate. 

A  large  extent  of  cultivated  ground,  well  built  and 
commodious  houses  and  stores,  steam  sugar-cane  mill, 
and  stills  for  the  production  of  rum  from  the  juice  of 
the  sugar-cane,  beautiful  herds  of  cattle,  garden,  lime- 
kiln, &c.,  are  proud  monuments  of  his  well-directed 
efforts,  and  a  bright  example  to  his,  in  general,  apathetic 
countrymen.  It  is  to  such  men  that  the  authorities  should 
give  every  assistance,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  it  only 
takes  the  form,  at  most,  of  empty  praise.  Tiie  Govern- 
ment at  Lisbon,  to  ftivour  men  who  devote  their  energies 
to  the  development  of  her  provinces,  did  give  exceptional 
privileges  to  the  "  Banco  Ultramarino  "  or  Colonial  Bank 
for  this  purpose,  but  its  operations  at  Loanda,  instead  of 
being  prmcipally  directed  to  aiding  planters,  &c.,  Avith 
capital,  have  been  hitherto  restricted  to  a  system  of 
miserable  usury. 

In  a  draft  on  England  for  a  small  amount  that  this 
bank  once  discounted,  it  was  stipulated  that  it  should  be 
paid  in  gold,  and  not  in  Bank  of  England  notes,  as  from 
information  that  had  reached  Loanda  of  a  commercial 
panic  in  London,  it  was  considered  a  proper  precaution  to 
adopt,  in  case  such  notes  should  suffer  de^ireciation  in 
value! 

In  digging  the  foundations  of  the  cane-house,  Senhor 
Oliveira  discovered  a  beautifully  carved  ivory  crucifix  in 
the  most  perfect  state  of  presei:vation.     This  work  of  art 


BRUTO.     MUKIMA,  233 


is  about  two  feet  highland  evidently  belonged  to  some 
monastery  existing  there. 

At  Bruto  there  is  a  fine  lagoon  in  which  abundance 
of  tisli  is  netted,  and  there  are  some  lovely  woods  and 
valleys  near,  which  abound  with  birds  and  monkeys. 

I  obtained  some  exquisite  little  kingfishers  (Cory- 
tJiomis  cijanostigma)  from  a  kind  of  little  bay  in  the 
banks  ot  the  river  near  Bruto;  this  bay  was  covered 
witli  the  leaves  and  flowers  of  the  water-lily  (Nymplisea 
dentata  and  stellata),  and  trailing  on  these  were  long 
stems  of  a  plant  many  yards  in  length,  covered  with 
bright  green  leaves  and  lovely  purple  bell-shaped  flowers. 
I  sat  down  behind  a  bush  and  watched  this  beautiful  nook 
for  some  time,  looking  at  a  number  of  water-hens  and 
other  birds  running  over  the  water-lilies,  and  with  the 
kinirfishers  chasing  their  insect  and  finny  prey. 

Beyond  Bruto  the  river  scenery  is  much  finer,  cliffs  and 
hills  on  either  side  covered  with  the  everlasting  baobab, 
and  the  valleys  filled  with  a  luxuriant  green  forest  of  trees 
and  creepers,  with  here  and  there  brilliant  patches  of 
colour  from  the  abundant  flowers  of  the  latter — the  banks 
of  tlie  river  a  foreground  of  papyrus  and  sedges  of  un- 
fading green. 

At  intervals  the  lines  of  hills  recede  inland,  and  show 
vast  spaces  occupied  by  lakes  and  lagoons  iringed  with 
almost  impenetrable  virgin  forests  containing  trees  of  fi4ie 
timber. 

At  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  about 
half-way  to  Dondo,  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Qiianza,  is 
the  town  of  Muxima,  built  on  a  bare  white  limestone 
rock,  on  which  the  hot  3un  seems  to  have  baked  the 
mud  huts  with  their  straw  roofs  to  a  dark  brown.  A 
fine  large  red-tiled  church,  and  the  ruins  of  a  small  fort 
on  the  top  of  a  steep  rocky  hill,  give  a  picturesque  ap- 
pearance to  the  otherwise  glaring  and  scorched  desolation 
of  the  place.  Hardly  any  movement  of  the  natives  is 
ever  seen  at  Muxima  when  passing  it  on  the  river;  there 
is  no  trade  or  industry  whatever  in  the  place,  and  the 
town  has  always  the  appearance  of  a  deserted  ruin  as 


234  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

represented  in  a  dissolving  view.  The  Portuguese  Lave 
a  '•  cliefe  "  here,  with  a  few  black  soldiers,  but  it  is  such  a 
forsaken,  dead-alive  place  that  there  is  always  a  difficulty 
in  finding  an  officer  for  the  post. 

The  church  at  Muxima  is  held  in  the  greatest  venera- 
tion by  the  natives  far  and  wide;  it  is  considered  as  a 
great  "fetish,"  and  even  the  natives  from  Loanda  seek 
there  the  interce.ssion  of  the  Virgin  Mary  as  represented 
by  an  image  in  that  church ;  and  I  was  shown  a  chest  full 
of  plate,  chains,  rings,  and  other  offerings  of  the  pious 
pilgrims  to  its  shrine. 

Alligators  abound,  and  places  are  staked  round  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  to  enable  the  natives  to  fill  their  vessels 
with  water  without  danger  of  being  drawn  in  by  these 
hideous  monsters.  On  a  hot  day  they  may  be  seen  dozing 
on  the  mudbanks,  stretched  out  flat  like  great  logs  of 
wood.  The  blacks  affirm  that  the  alligator  is  fonder  of 
eating  women  and  girls  than  men; — this  belief  may  very 
likely  be  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  the  women  who 
generally  fetch  water  from  the  river,  and  that  con- 
sequently a  greater  number  of  them  fall  victims  to  this 
brute.  They  have  also  the  belief,  common  to  the  natives 
of  all  Angola,  that  the  alligator's  liver  is  poisonous, 
and  that  it  is  used  as  a  poison  by  the  "  feiticeiros "  or 
sorcerers. 
•  Numbers  of  liippopotami  also  inhabit  this  river,  but 
since  the  steamers  are  constantly  navigating  it  they  are 
seldom  seen,  and  appear  to  have  migrated  more  to  the 
lagoons.  Formerly  it  was  most  amusing  to  watch  these 
huge  and  inoffensive  beasts;  I  have  seen  them  lift  their 
great  heads  out  of  the  water  and  stare  quite  familiarly  for 
two  or  three  minutes  with  every  appearance  of  curiosity 
in  their  little  round  eyes  at  the  canoe  passing,  and  then 
slowly  sink  with  a  snort  and  great  bubbling  of  the  water 
from  their  nostrils.  One  wide  bend  of  the  river,  where  the 
water  is  very  still,  used  to  be  the  favourite  resort  of  the 
hippopotamus,  and  was  called  by  the  natives  *' hippo- 
potamus corner"  from  this  circumstance.  I  once  sto])ped 
my  canoe  off  there  for  some  time,  to  witness  the  gambols 


MUXIMA.  235 


of  some  twenty  of  these  animals,  large  and  small,  evidently 
playing  and  chasing  one  another,  lifting  their  heads  and 
shoulders  right  out  of  the  water,  and  snorting  and  booming 
away  at  a  great  rate. 

There  were  formerly  natives  who  used  to  hunt  these 
animals  for  the  sake  of  their  flesh,  fat,  and  teeth,  and  1 
went  ashore  to  two  or  three  huts  where  some  of  these 
blacks  lived  to  buy  for  my  boatmen  a  quantity  of  the  dry 
and  salted  flesh  and  bacon  of  a  hippopotamus  they  had 
recently  killed.  It  was  cut  into  long  thin  strips  \Vhich 
were  hanging  to  dry  over  some  lines  stretched  from  poles 
in  the  ground.  I  tasted  some  of  the  flesh  and  fat  cooked 
with  beans  by  my  men,  and  it  was  very  nice ;  and  had  I 
not  known  what  it  was,  I  should  never  have  distinguished 
the  taste  from  that  of  insipid  pork  or  bacon. 

The  manatee  is  also  not  uncommon,  and  also  a  large 
fresh-water  tortoise  {Trionyx  nihtica)  which  is  speared  by 
the  natives  and  much  esteemed  for  food. 

Fish  is  extremely  abundant,  particularly  a  short  thick 
fish  called  *' cacuS'O,"  which  is  the  principal  food  of  the 
natives  on  that  river.  A  fisherman,  once  gave  me  the 
names  of  over  forty  species  of  fish  to  be  obtained  in  the 
Quanza,  and  at  Dondo  a  large  fish  is  caught  and  is  much 
valued  by  the  Portuguese  for  its  delicious  flavour. 

Fish  is  principally  caught  by  throw  nets,  or  by  hook 
and  line,  also  in  fish  baskets  or  traps. 

Beyond  Muxima  the  appearance  of  the  banks  becomes 
really  charming.  A  delicious  panorama  of  mile  after 
mile  of  the  most  beautiful  dark  forest  of  high  feathery- 
topped  oil-palms,  stretches  on  both  sides,  but  principally 
on  the  north  bank. 

Under  the  shade  of  these  palms  is  seen  a  succession  of 
picturesque  huts,  in  every  variety  of  unsymmetrical  quaint- 
ness,  of  weathered  grass  roofs,  mud  walls  and  whitewash, 
and  crooked  doors  and  windows.  Many  of  these  huts  are 
embosomed  in  a  fence  of  growing  hog-plum  stakes,  and 
surrounded  by  a  thicket  of  lime  and  orange  trees,  plan- 
tains, papaws,  &c.,  the  luxuriant  and  ever  bright  green 
foliage  contrasting  beautifully  with  the  sombre,  almost 


236  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

black  hue  and  shade  of  the  palms.  Where  there  are  no 
palm-trees  the  vegetation  is  equally  lovely,  a  profusion 
of  creepers  festooning  and  covering  the  highest  trees. 
Amongst  these,  the  cotton  wood-trees  and  giant  baobabs 
are  the  most  conspicuous,  their  sparsely-covered  branches 
generally  crowded  with  hundreds  of  long-legged  herons 
and  other  birds.  One  of  these  vast  trees  with  but  few 
leaves,  and  the  branches  thickly  covered  with  lines  of 
long-legged  and  long-necked  grey  or  white  birds  standing 
bolt  upright,  has  a  most  extraordinary  and  unexpected 
appearance. 

The  pahn  forests  resound  with  the  cooing  of  innume- 
rable doves,  and  are  a  favourite  haunt  of  a  wh.ite-lipaded 
eagle  or  vulture,  complained  of  by  the  natives  for  the  havoc 
that  it  commits  on  the  palm-nuts,  on  wliich  it  is  said  chiefly 
to  subsist. 

The  palm-tree  is  also  the  favourite  resort  of  several 
species  of  the  beautiful  little  nectarinso  or  snn  birds,  who 
appear  to  find  on  the  crown  and  leaves  the  small  spiders 
and  other  insects  that  constitute  their  principal  food. 
They  are  always  especially  busy  about  the  gourds  placed 
at  the  tops  of  the  trees  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  the 
palm  wine  ; — whether  it  is  that  they  are  fond  of  the  juice, 
or  whether  this  attracts  the  insect  prey  they  are  in  search 
of^  I  know  not.  Palm-trees  standing  alone  generally  have 
as  many  as  a  hundred  or  more  of  the  pretty  nests,  made 
by  a  species  of  weaver-bird,  suspended  from  the  leaflets. 
These  birds  are  very  noisy,  and  take  not  the  least  notice 
of  the  people  passing  beneath — in  fact,  they  seem  to  prefer 
building  their  nests  in  solitary  palms  in  the  middle  of  a 
native  town.  The  natives  never  think  of  molesting  small 
birds,  and  the  children  have  not  the  cruel  propensity  for 
stone-throwing  and  bird-nesting  that  our  more  civilized 
boys  have. 

Many  of  the  sandy  islets  and  shallows  of  the  river  are 
frequented  by  clouds  of  different  species  of  gulls,  attracted 
no  doubt  by  the  great  abundance  of  fish. 

The  scenery  continues  of  the  same  character  as  far  as 
Dondo, 


MASSANGANO.  237 


A  little  above  Maxima  there  is  a  fine  perpendicular 
cliff,  at  the  foot  of  which  runs  the  river.  This  is  called 
the  '*  Pedra  dos  Feiticeiros,"  or  "  Fetish  Hock,"  and  from 
it  the  Quissamas  throw  into  the  river  the  unfortunate 
wretches  accused  of  witchcraft.  They  are  said  to  be  first 
stunned  by  a  blow  on  the  head  from  a  knobbed  stick  and 
then  thrown  over  the  cliff,  to  ensure  their  not  escaping 
the  alh'gators  by  swimming  ashore.  Before  arriving  at 
Dondo  we  reach  the  important  district  of  Massangano, 
where  the  Eiver  LucaHa,  the  largest  tributary  of  the 
Quanza,  runs  into  it. 

The  town  of  Massangano  stands  on  higli  ground,  but 
only  the  old  fort  and  "residencia"  of  the  "chefe"  are 
seen  from  the  river,  these  being  built  on  the  high  cliff 
overlooking  it.  The  fort  contains  a  couple  of  ancient  iron 
guns,  evidently  loaded  by  the  breech  in  some  way  which  is 
not  at  present  very  clear.  From  the  fort  an  extensive 
view  is  obtained  of  the  splendid  country  below.  I  once 
spent  a  few  days  at  Senhor  Lobato's  house  at  Massangano, 
and  made  several  excursions  in  the  neiglibourhood.  The 
country  around  is  beautiful  and  very  fertile.  There  are  a 
number  of  traders  established  there,  and  a  large  assem- 
blage of  native  huts  and  houses.  There  is  also  a  fine 
old  church,  the  only  remaining  evidence  of  the  existence 
of  the  old  missionaries.  Both  this  and  the  church  at 
Muxiraa  contain  great  numbers  of  small  bats.  The  roof 
inside  is  completely  covered  with  them.  I  have  noticed  a 
very  curious  circumstance  in  Angola  with  regard  to  these 
bats,  and  that  is  the  way  they  issue  at  dusk  from  any 
window  or  crevice  communicating  with  the  interior  of  the 
roofs  or  other  dark  places  that  they  occupy  during  the 
day. 

At  regular  intervals  of  about  thirty  seconds  to  one 
minute,  a  small  puff  or  cloud  of  these  bats  is  seen  to  issue 
together,  and  so  they  continue  till  all  are  out.  This  strange 
habit  of  leaving  their  hiding-places  intermittently,  and 
not  continuously  as  might  be  expected,  cannot  easily  be 
explained,  nor  why  they  assemble  together  to  go  forth 
in  distinct  batches  only.     Whether  they  return  in  the 


238  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

same  manner  I  cannot  say.  Once  out,  they  seem  to 
spread  apart  immediately,  and  fly  away  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  do  not  appear  in  the  least  to  keep  in 
flocks  like  birds,  though  they  may  roost  together  in 
communities. 

The  town  of  Dondo  is  about  twenty  miles  from  Massan- 
gano.  It  stands  in  a  small  tiifingular  level  plain  sur- 
rounded by  hills  on  all  side?,  the  baseof  thetr'angle  being 
the  liiver  Quanza  and  the  low  line  of  hills  on  its  southei  ii 
bank.  From  the  conHguration  of  the  ground,  shut  in  on 
all  sides  from  winds,  it  is  perhaps,  as  might  be  imagined, 
the  hottest  corner  of  Angola.  The  heat  in  a  calm  sum- 
mer's day  is  almost  stilling,  and  the  nights,  geneially 
cool  everywhere  else,  are  not  less  oppressive.  Formerly 
the  town  was  on  the  high  land  above,  at  Cambarabe,  as 
the  town  itself  was  called,  but  the  exigencies  of  trade  have 
peopled  the  present  town  of  Dondo. 

It  is  a  growdng  and  flourishing  place,  where  a  number 
of  traders  and  agents  of  Loanda  houses  are  established, 
and  is  the  receiving  port  for  embarkation  of  the  produce 
and  trade  of  the  neighbouring  districts  and  of  those  of 
the  interior.  Thousands  of  tons. of  ground-nuts,  coffee, 
wax,  palm-oil,  ivory,  &c.,  are  shipped  yearly  at  Dondo  for 
Loanda  by  the  steamers.  There  is  a  fine  large  Square  in 
the  middle  of  the  town,  where  a  fair  or  market  is  held 
every  day,  and  to  this  the  natives  resort  from  all  parts 
around  with  produce  and  provisions.  Many  different  tribes 
from  the  interior  are  to  be  seen  at  Dondo,  both  from  the 
northern  and  southern  banks  of  the  river,  who  have 
brought  produce  for  sale  to  the  white  men.  The  *•'  resi- 
dencia "  of  the  '*  chefe  "  is  on  a  hill  to  tlie  south  of  the 
town,  and  the  view  from  it  is  truly  magnilicent.  As  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach  it  is  one  gorgeous  scene  of  mountains, 
dark  palms,  and  forests,  range  after  range,  till  lost  to  view 
in  the  horizon.  There  .ire  two  views  in  Angola  that  would 
alone  almost  repay  the  tiouble  of  travelling  there.  One 
is  that  just  described,  and  the  other  from  the  hill  at  Tuco 
on  the,  road  from  Ambriz  to  Bembe. 

About  six  or  eight  miles  from  Dondo  up  the  river  are 


FALLS  OF  CAMBAMBE.  239 

the  first  cataracts  of  Cambambe.  Immediately  on  leaving 
Dondo  the  river  is  enclosed  by  high  hills  or  clifi's  on  both 
sides,  and  winds  a  good  deal,  so  that  a  succession  of 
fresh  and  seemingly  more  beautiful  pictures  is  constantly 
presented  to  the  traveller's  admiration  as  he  ascends  the 
river  in  a  boat.  The  river  is  wide  and  deep,  and  the  slopes 
and  perpendicular  sides  of  the  hilly  walls  on  either  side 
are  of  endless  variety  of  colour,  both  of  roclc,  moss  and 
lichen,  plant  and  tree.  Deep  red  iron-stained  sandstone, 
conglomerate,  blue  clay  slate,  huge  white-stemmed  baobabs, 
dark  masses  of  palm-trees,  plots  of  large-leaved  j)lantains, 
masses  of  trees  overgrown  with  creepers,  meet  the  eye  in 
ever  varying  combination,  and  gradually  the  wide  valley 
worn  by  the  water  becomes  narrower  and  narrower,  until  at 
last  it  is  a  deep  gorge  with  almost  upright  walls  of  clay  slate, 
and  the  passage  for  the  great  body  of  water  is  barred  right 
across  by  vast  rocky  ledges  and  peaks,  over  which,  in  the 
rainy  season,  it  rushes  and  dashes  with  a  deafening  wild 
roar  and  mad  flinging  up  into  the  air  of  showers  of  water 
and  foam.  The  last  time  I  saw  these  rapids  I  was  accom- 
panied by  my  wife,  and  we  landed  on  a  bank  of  graA^el  a 
little  below  the  cataract  and  walked  and  scrambled  on 
the  rocks  till  we  were  on  a  great  ledge  quite  close  to,' 
and  but  little  over  the  level  of  the  waters  ;  but,  it  being 
the  end  of  the  dry  season,  they  were  so  far  reduced  as  to 
run  between  the  rocks  in  a  swift  dark  oily-looking  mass, 
and  at  such  a  considerable  inclination  and  speed  as  to  give 
the  idea  of  vast  and  irresistible  force.  On  the  rocks, 
covered  over  and  splashed  by  the  water,  were  growing 
masses  of  a  curious  semi-transparent  plant  with  thick 
stems,  and  bearing  minute  white  flowers. 

The  singular  appearance  of  this  plant,  so  exactly  like  a 
sea-weed,  attracted  our  attention,  and  as  I  had  never  before 
observed  it  anywhere  in  my  travels  in  Angola,  we  secured 
specimens,  which  we  dried  and  preserved,  and  on  forward- 
ing them  to  Kew  it  was  found  to  be  a  new  genus  of  Podo- 
stemacedSy  and  has  been  described  by  Dr.  Weddell  in  the 
*  Journal  of  the  Linnean  Society,'  xiv.  210,  t  13,  as  the 
Angoleea  fluitans. 


240  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 


It  is  said  that  coal  has  h\tely  been  discovered  near  tlie 
river  on  its  soutliern  bank,  and  not  far  from  Dondo. 

Of  the  ohl  town  of  Cambambe,  situated  on  the  hi^^h 
ground  over  the  cataract,  but  little  else  remains  than  the 
church  and  a  few  houses.  The  Iliver  Quanza  is  not  navi- 
gable beyond  the  rapids,  except  perhaps  for  short  distances 
and  for  small  canoes.  At  Nhangui-a-pepi  it  is  only  a  broad 
shallow  stream,  but  with  a  very  rocky  bed;  its  source, 
however,  is  far  beyond  Piingo  Andongo. 

About  the  higher  parts  of  the  river  a  gigantic  species 
of  the  "  Bagre  "  (Bagrus)  is  found.  This  is  a  siluroid  fish, 
and  my  attention  was  first  called  to  its  extraordinary 
dimensions  by  seeing  a  black  using  the  flat  top  of  the 
skull  of  one  as  a  plate  or  dish.  I  was  then  in  the  province 
of  Cambambe,  and  several  times  had  an  opportunity  of 
asking  natives  fiom  Pungo  Andongo  the  size  of  these  fish  : 
one  man  told  me  that  they  were  captured  so  large  that 
two  men  were  required  to  carry  one  fish  slung  on  a  pole 
on  their  shoulders,  by  passing  the  pole  through  the  gills, 
and  that  the  tail  then  drags  on  the  ground.  Another 
black  who  was  a  river  fisherman  explained  to  me  that  the 
"  bagres"  were  caught  witli  an  iron  hook  made  on  purpose 
by  the  native  smiths  and  baited  with  a  piece  of  meat ;  he 
gave  me  an  idea  of  the  thickness  and  size  of  the  hook  with 
a  piece  of  twig,  and  it  was  as  large  as  an  ordinary  shark- 
hook  ;  he  furtlier  drew  on  the  ground  the  size  of  this  large 
fish,  and  it  was  six  feet  long.  Other  natives  Avho  were 
with  him  joined  in  the  description  and  corroborated  him, 
and  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  they  spoke  the  truth 
and  were  not  exaggerating  much.  I  wrote  to  some  Portu- 
guese traders  at  Pungo  Andongo,  asking  them  to  send  me 
the  head  of  one  in  spirits,  but  of  course  I  never  got  it. 

Only  the  northern  bank  of  the  Quanza  is  subject  to  the 
Portuguese  (with  the  exception  of  the  town  of  Muxima), 
and  the  natives  inhabiting  it  are  greatly  civilized  and 
well  behaved,  and  very  civil.  They  are,  of  course,  not 
\  industrious,  the  women  cultivating  the  usual  mandioca 
^  and  other  produce  for  food,  and  manufacturing  palm  oil. 
A  little  tobacco  is  also  cultivated  bv  them,  and  the  leaves 


DANCES.  241 


when  fully  grown  are  gathered  and  a  string  passed  through 
the  stem.  This  string  of  leaves  is  stretched  round  their 
huts  to  dry,  and  the  large  leaves  thus  hanging  give  them 
a  curious  appei ranee. 

The  first  trips  of  the  steamers  caused  the  natives  on 
either  bank  the  most  intense  astonishment;  they  would 
race  them  along  the  banks,  shouting  and  yelling;  and 
when  the  steamers  stopped  at  any  place,  crowds  would 
flock  round  and  come  on  board  to  stare  at  the  machinery, 
which  was  universally  pronounced  to  be  a  Avhite  man's 
great  "fetish." 

All  natives  are  very  fond  of  the  *'  batuco  "  or  dance,  of 
which  there  are  two  kinds.  The  Arabriz  blacks  and  those 
of  the  Congo  country  dance  it  in  the  following  manner  : — 
a  ring  is  formed  of  the  performers  and  spectators;  "ma- 
rimbas" are  twanged  and  drums  beaten  vigorously,  and 
all  assembled  clap  their  hands  in  time  with  the  thumping 
of  the  drums,  and  shout  a  kind  of  chorus.  The  dancers, 
both  men  and  women,  jump  with  a  yell  into  the  ring,  two 
or  three  at  a  time,  and  commence  dancing.  This  consists 
almost  exclusively  of  swaying  the  body  about  with  only  a 
slight  movement  of  the  feet,  head,  and  arm,«,  but  at  the 
same  time  the  muscles  of  the  shoulders,  back,  and  hams, 
are  violently  twitched  and  convulsed.  The  greatest  ap- 
plause is  given  to  those  who  can  most  strongly  shake 
their  flesh  all  over  in  this  way.  It  is  difficult  to  do,  and 
appears  to  require  considerable  practice,  and  seems  very 
fatiguing,  for  in  a  few  minutes  the  dancers  are  streaming 
with  perspiration  and  retire  for  others  to  take  their  places, 
and  so  they  will  often  continue  for  a  whole  night  long,  or 
in  dark  nights,  as  long  as  the  great  heap  of  dry  grass  that 
they  have  provided  lasts — the  illumination  being  obtained 
by  burning  wisps  of  this  grass,  two  or  three  blacks  gene- 
rally having  the  care  of  that  part  of  the  performance. 
The  natives  at  these  dances  are  dressed  as  usual  in  the 
ordinary  waistcloth,  the  men  arranging  theirs  so  as  to 
allow  the  ends  to  trail  on  tlie  ground.  There  is  nothing 
whatever  indecent  in  them. 

The  "  batuco"  of  the  Bunda-speaking  natives  of  Loanda 

B 


212  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

and  the  interior  is  different.  The  ring  of  speotators  and 
dancers,  the  illuminations,  the  "  marimbas "  and  drums 
are  the  same,  but  only  two  performers  jump  into  the  ring 
at  a  time,  a  man  and  a  girl  or  woman;  they  shnfHe  their 
feet  with  great  rapidity,  passing  one  another  backwards 
and  forwards,  then  retreat  facing  one  another,  and  sud- 
denly advancing,  bring  their  stomachs  together  with  a 
whack.  They  then  retire,  and  anotlier  couple  instantly 
take  their  places.  This  performance  might  be  called 
somewhat  indecent,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  the  natives 
attach  the  most  remote  idea  of  harm  to  the  "batueo." 

The '•' marimba "  is  the  musical  instrument  par  excel- 
lence of  the  natives  of  Angola.  In  Plate  XI.  is  repre- 
sented the  better  made  ones.  It  consists  of  a  flat  piece 
of  wood,  generally  hollowed  out^  and  with  a  number  of 
thin  iron  tongues  secured  on  it  by  cross  bits,  but  so  as  to 
allow  them  to  be  pulled  out  more  or  less  for  the  purpose 
of  tuning.  In  front  is  affixed  a  wire,  on  which  some  glass 
beads  are  loosely  strung  that  jangle  when  the  instrument 
is  played,  which  is  done  by  holding  it  between  both  hair's 
and  twanging  the  tongues  with  the  thumbs.  'J'he  light 
wood  of  which  the  '*  marimbas"  are  made  is  that  of  the 
cotton-woo  I  tree.  They  are  also  made  with  s]i|)s  of  the 
hard  cuticle  of  the  stem  of  the  palm-leaf  instead  of  the 
iron  tongues,  but  these  are  the  commoner  instruments. 
Others  are  made  smaller  and  with  iewer  tongues. 

The  more  complete  ones  have  an  empty  gourd  attached 
to  the  under  part,  which  is  said  to  give  them  greater 
sonorousness.  The  blacks  are  excessively  fond  of  these 
instruments  everywhere  in  Angola,  playing  them  as  they 
walk  along  or  rest,  and  by  day  or  night  a  "marimba"  is 
at  all  hours  heard  twanging  somewhere.  The  music  played 
on  it  is  of  a  very  primitive  description,  consisting  only  of 
a  few  notes  constantly  repeated. 

Another  common  instrument  of  noise,  much  used  to 
accompany  the  "  marimbas  "  and  drums  at  the  "  batucos," 
is  made  by  splitting  a  short  piece  of  palm  stem  about  ibiu* 
or  five  feet  long  down  one  side,  and  scooping  out  the  soft 
centre.     The  hard  cuticle  is  then  cut  into  little  grooves 


MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS.  243 

across  the  slit,  and  these,  energetically  rubbed  with  a  stick, 
produce  a  loud,  twanging,  rattling  kind  of  noise. 

A  musical  instrument  sometimes  seen  is  made  by 
stretching  a  thin  string  to  a  bent  bow,  about  three  feet 
long,  passed  through  half  a  gourd,  the  open  end  of  which 
rests  against  the  performer's  bare  stomach.  The  string  is 
struck  with  a  thin  slip  of  cane  or  palm-leaf  stem  held  in 
the  light  hand,  and  a  finger  of  tlie  left,  which  holds  the 
instrument,  is  laid  occasionally  on  the  string,  and  in  this 
way,  with  occasional  gentle  blows  of  the  open  gourd 
against  the  stomach,  very  pleasing  sounds  and  modulations 
are  obtained. 

Another  very  noisy  instrument  with  which  the  drums 
and  *' marimbas"  are  sometimes  accompanied  at  the 
*'  batucos,"  is  made  by  covering  one  end  of  a  small  powder 
barrel  or  hollow  wooden  cylinder  (open  at  both  ends)  with 
a  piece  of  sheepskin  tied  tightly  round  it.  A  short  piece 
of  round  wood,  about  six  or  seven  inches  long,  is  pushed 
through  a  hole  in  the  middle  of  the  sheepskin  cover,  a 
knob  at  the  end  preventing  it  from  slipping  quite  in. 
The  hand  of  the  performer  is  then  wetted  and  inserted 
into  the  cylinder  and  the  piece  of  wood  is  lightly  grasped 
and  pulled,  allowing  it  to  slip  a  little,  the  result  being  a 
most  hideou?!,  booming  sound. 

I  would  strongly  recommend  my  j^outhful  readers,  if 
they  would  like  to  create  a  sensation  in  a  quiet  household, 
to  manufacture  one  of  these  simple  and  efficacious  musical 
instruments,  and  I  would  suggest  the  application  of  a 
little  powdered  resin  instead  of  water  to  the  hand,  to 
produce  a  full  tone. 

i  once  saw  at  a  town  near  Bembe  a  musical  in- 
strument which  I  thought  rather  ingenious.  A  small 
rectangular  pit  had  been  dug  in  the  ground,  and  over  its 
mouth  two  strings,  about  six  inches  apart,  were  stretched 
with  pegs  driven  in  the  ground.  Across  these  strings  ten 
or  twelve  staves  from  a  small  powder-barrel  were  fastened. 
These  were  struck  with  a  couple  of  sticks,  on  the  end  of 
which  was  a  little  knob  or  lump  of  india-rubber,  and  an 
agreeable  sound  was  produced.     I  have  seen  two  Kroo- 

R  2 


244  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

men  from  the  West  Coast,  at  the  River  Zaire,  playing  on 
a  similar  kind  of  instrument,  but  the  flat  pieces  ^vere 
laid  across  two  small  plantain-stems,  and  were  of  different 
sizes  and  thickness,  so  as  to  produce  a  kind  of  scale  when 
struck  by  the  performers  with  a  couple  of  sticks  each. 
The  rapidity  with  which  this  instrument  was  played  was 
really  marvellous,  and  the  music  sounded  like  variations  of 
their  usual  plaintive  song,  always  in  a  minor  key,  and  one 


^ 


-^-±rfz 


r=w- 


--^- 


5 

seemed  to  be  playing  bass  to  the  other's  rapidly-executed 
treble.  This  air  is  played  or  sung  ad  infinitum,  and  the 
second  bar  is  often  repeated.  The  Kroomen  on  board  the 
steamers  on  the  coast  always  sing  it  and  harmonize  it 
prettily,  when  it  has  a  very  pleising  effect  indeed. 

The  southern  bank  of  the  Quanza,  from  its  mouth  to 
opposite  Dondo,  is  called  the  Quissaina  country,  and  is 
inhabited  by  the  peculiar  race  or  tribe  of  negroes  of  the 
same  name.  They  have  not  been  subjected  to  the  Portu- 
guese in  modern  times,  and  I  apprehend  that  in  former 
years,  when  the  Portuguese  were  in  great  strength  on 
the  Kiver  Quanza,  they  were  never  considered  worth  the 
trouble  of  subjugatin«r,  as  they  certainly  are  not  now. 
The  former  missionaries  also  do  not  appear  to  have  been 
able  to  do  anything  with  them,  as  not  a  trace  exists  there 
of  the  habits  of  civilization  they  so  successfully  intro- 
duced, and  which  are  so  apparent  in  the  natives  of  the 
greater  part  of  Angola,  where  they  were  formerly  esta- 
blished. Their  greatest  stations  were  on  tlie  Quanza, 
where  their  efforts  were  most  successful ;  and  there  can 
be  no  reason  to  suppose  that  any  other  obstacle  existed 
to  the  Quissama  natives  participating  in  their  teach- 
ing or  example  than  the  resistance  due  t3  the  very  low 
type,  both  physical  and  mental,  of  this  tribe,  so  ap- 
parent at  the  present  day.  The  missionaries  must  have 
had  a  station  of  some  importance  at  Muxima,  in  their 
own   country,   as   shown   by  the  very  fine   church   still 


QUI S  SAM  A.  245 


existing  there,   besides  those   at  Calumbo,  Massangano, 
Cambambe,  and  perhaps  at  Bruto. 

The  Quissama  iiegioes  are  very  black  in  colour,  under- 
sized, exceedingly  dirty,  and  have  a  remarkably  ugly 
cast  of  countenance.  With  the  exception  of  the  tribe  of 
Muquandos,  soutli  of  Benguella,  the  Quissama  blacks  are 
the  most  miserable-looking  race  in  Angola.  They  have 
a  wild,  savage  look,  not  seen  in  the  faces  of  any  other 
tribe,  and  have  not  the  free  mien  or  attitude  of  perfect 
ease  of  other  blacks,  but  appear  frightened  and  very  sus- 
picious. Everywhere  on  the  river  they  cross  over  daily 
with  their  produce  for  sale  to  the  different  houses  of  the 
white  traders,  as  well  as  to  the  petty  native  grog-shops 
and  traders  on  the  river  from  Calumbo  to  JJondo,  but 
they  never  drop  their  distrustful  behaviour,  and  cross 
over  to  their  own  side  without  delaying  more  than 
necessary.  They  will  not  allow  traders  to  establish  on 
their  side  of  the  river; — one  or  two  that  are  said  to  have 
done  so  were  robbed,  and  their  houses  burnt.  They  are 
on  terms  of  perfect  friendship  with  the  natives  and  white 
men  of  the  northern  bank,  and  at  Calumbo  and  a  few 
other  places  their  land  is  cultivated  by  the  natives  of 
those  places. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Quissama  country  is  very 
barren,  and  perfectly  destitute  of  water  except  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  itself,  the  Quissamas  employing  baobab 
trees  hollowed  out  for  the  purpose,  as  reservoirs  for  the 
rain-water  falling  in  the  wet  season.  It  is  very  scantily 
populated  except  near  Massangano  and  Dondo,  where 
their  chief  towns  are,  and  where  they  manufacture  a 
considerable  quantity  of  palm-oil. 

When  the  oil-season  is  approaching,  the  white  traders 
go  over  from  Dondo  to  their  principal  towns  to  settle 
with  the  "  sobas  "  or  kings  the  price  per  measure  at  which 
the  oil  is  to  be  sold.  Though  so  wild  in  appearance,  they 
are  most  inoffensive  and  peaceable,  and  are  in  the  greatest 
fear  lest  the  Portuguese  should  take  it  into  their  heads  to 
annex  their  territory,  which  they  could  most  easily  do  if^ 
they  thought  it  advisable. 


24G  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 

The  Libollos,  or  natives  of  the  Libollo  country,  are  a 
very  much  finer  and  cleaner  race  than  tlieir  neighbours 
the  Quissamas,  and  their  country  (according  to  the 
accounts  I  received  from  several  Portuguese  and  natives) 
most  beautiful  and  fertile,  and  covered  in  great  part  with 
palm-trees. 

The  manner  in  whicli  tliey  have  lately  cultivated  large 
quantities  of  ground-nuts,  and  increased  the  pioduction  of 
palm-oil,  proves  that  they  are  an  industrious  race. 

They  are  antagonistic  to  the  Quissamas,  and  very 
favourable  to  the  Portuguese,  and  have  often  offered  to 
reduce  them  to  the  power  of  the  latter,  if  these  will  give 
them  leave  and  supply  them  w^ith  guns  and  ammunition. 
Ou  one  occasion,  when  I  was  at  Dondo,  an  embassy  arrived, 
through  the  Libollo  country^  from  some  powerful  tribes  of 
the  Bailundo  district — the  most  warlike  of  the  tribes  of 
the  interior — also  offering  to  conquer  the  country  for  the 
Portuguese  on  condition  of  being  allowed  to  plunder  and 
carry  off  prisoners  as  slaves. 

These  warlike  tribes  to  the  south  of  the  Libollo  and 
Quissama  countries  are  known  in  Angola  by  the  name  of 
Quinbundos,  and  are  the  handsomest  natives  of  any,  being 
all  very  tall  and  well  formed.  They  come  in  caravans 
to  Dondo,  principally  laden  with  beeswax,  singing  on 
the  march,  and  at  night  when  assembled  together,  a 
song  with  chorus  with  great  efiect.  They  put  up  at 
the  Libollo  and  Quissama  towns,  and  come  over  to  the 
northern  bank  to  trade  with  the  white  men.  They  plait 
their  hair  in  thin  strings  all  round  their  heads,  and  in 
each  j)lait  they  put  several  beads,  mostly  made  of  red 
paste  in  imitation  of  coral.  The  Quissamas  are  not 
cannibals,  as  described  by  an  English  tourist,  whose  sen- 
sational story  about  them,  written  after  a  few  days'  trip  in 
the  steamers  on  the  Quanza,  is  full  of  gross  inaccuracies. 

The  dress  of  the  men  is  a  waistcloth  of  fine  matting 
or  cotton  cloths,  obtained  from  the  traders;  that  of  the 
women  is  very  singular,  being  the  soft,  beaten  inner  bark 
cf  the  baobab-tree  made  into  a  thick  sort  of  skirt,  whicli 
is  fastened  round  the  waist,  and  has  extra  lavers  at  the 


Maxilla,  and  Barber's  Shop.— Carrying  Corpse  to  Burial.— Quissama  Women,  and 

manner  of  pounding  and  sifting  Meal  in   AiigoU        To  face  page  247. 


LIBOLLO.  247 


back  to  puff  it  out  still  more,  something  in  tbe  manner 
of  the  '*  dress  improvers  "  Avorn  by  the  fair  sex  in  our  own 
country  (Plate  XIL).  Nature  has  provided  tlie  Quissama 
ladies  with  an  abundant  development  of  what  the  Spaninrds 
call  "  enthui^iasra,"  and  On  this  account  the  use  of  the  extra 
thicknesses  on  the  back  of  their  skirts  is  really  quite 
unnecessar}',  but  they  are  not  satisfied,  and  consider  this 
fashion  an  improvement.  Their  appearance,  therefore, 
is  very  comical,  particularly  when  they  rim,  as  the  thick 
short  skirt  moves  up  and  down,  and  swings  round  with 
every  motion  of  the  body. 

They  are  very  dirty  in  their  habits,  never  appearing  to 
make  use  of  water  for  washing,  and  their  baobab  skirts 
are  always  black  v/ith  grease,  smoke,  and  perspiration.  I 
had  to  order  the  two  dresses  in  my  possession,  one  for  a 
married  woman  and  the  other  for  a  girl  or  young  woman, 
to  be  made  on  purpose,  as  I  could  not  touch  any  of  those 
offered  to  me  for  sale. 

The  women,  when  they  come  over  to  the  northern 
bank,  sometimes  wear  a  handkerchief  or  other  cloth  over 
the  brta-^t,  and  even  over  the  baobab  skirt,  but  this  latter 
they  mu.-t  wear,  according  to  the  custom  of  their  country. 
They  carry  the  produce  of  their  plantations  in  large 
coniral  baskets  on  their  backs,  secured  by  a  band  round 
the  forehead  (Plate  XIL).  It  is,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  only 
tribe  in  Angola  that  carries  a  load  in  this  manner. 

The  Quissama  blacks  are  extremely  poor,  their  arid 
country  producing  hardly  anything  besides  the  food  neces- 
sary for  their  bare  subsistence,  and  a  little  beeswax.  The 
principal  food  of  those  near  the  river  is  fish. 

There  is  a  deposit  of  rock-salt  in  the  Quissama  country 
somewhere  between  Muxima  and  Calumbo  (said  to  be 
south  of  the  former),  and  at  some  distance  from  the  river. 
It  has  never  to  my  knowledge  been  visited  by  any  white 
man,  nor  would  the  Quissamas  readily  allow  one  to  go  to 
the  place ;  but  the  most  curious  thing  connected  with  this 
salt  is  that  they  cut  it  into  little  bars  with  five  or  six 
sides  or  facets,  about  eight  or  nine  inches  long  and  about 
an  inch  thick,  tapering  slightly  to  the  ends,  and  closely 


248  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

encased  in  cane- work.  These  pass  as  money,  not  only  on 
the  river,  but  in  the  interior,  >vhere  they  are  at  last  per- 
haps consumed. 

During  tlie  Abyssinian  war,  some  of  the  correspondents 
described  exactly  the  same  sliaped  pieces  of  rock-salt  en- 
cised  in  similar  wicker-work,  as  being  obtained  and  em- 
ployed in  that  country  for  the  same  purpose.  This  is 
extremely  interesting,  and  opens  several  questions  as  to  a 
possible  common  origin  for  the  custom  in  the  far  and  dim 
past,  and  the  case  of  the  bellows  already  described  is 
another  similar  instance. 

Many  of  the  native  words  mentioned  by  the  same  cor- 
respondents are  identical  with  those  used  in  diiferent 
places  in  Angola.  I  am  very  sorry  now  that  I  did  not 
devote  more  attention  to  the  investigation  of  the  lan- 
guages of  the  natives  of  Angola,  and  in  particular  that 
of  the  Quissama  tribe,  which  is  different  to  the  Bunda 
language,  and  is  also  said  to  be  different  to  that  of  Ben- 
guella  Velha  and  Novo  Redondo  ftirther  south.  The 
number  ot*  distinct  languages  and  dialects  in  Angola  is 
very  curious,  and  a  similar  multiplicity  of  tongues  has 
been  noted  by  travellers  in  other  parts  of  Tropical  Africa. 
None  of  the  languages  in  Angola  are  guttural,  or  spoken 
with  a  "click." 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  most  interesting  detail  to  be 
worked  out  in  Angola  in  every  branch  of  natural  history 
and  ethnology. 

My  chapters  are  little  more  than  an  indication  of  the 
wealth  that  lies  there  buried  for  future  explorers,  and  of 
the  success  that  will  attend  their  investigations. 


(    249    ) 


CHAPTER  XV. 

COUNTRY  SOUTH  OF  THE  RIVER  QUANZA — CASSANZA  — 
NOVO  REDONDO  —  CELIS  —  CANNIBALS  —  LIONS  —  HOT 
SPRINGS  —  BEES  —  EGITO  —  SCORPIONS  —  RIVER  ANHA 
—  CATUMBELLA. 

The  country  south  of  tlie  Eiver  Quanza  is  very  different 
from  that  to  the  north  of  it,  just  described,  not  only  in  its 
physical  aspect,  but  also  in  the  tribes  of  natives  inhabiting 
it.  The  evide'nces  of  a  former  degree  of  civilization,  and 
of  the  good  work  of  the  old  missionaries,  are  not  hero 
visible,  and  I  should  almost  imagine  that  this  part  of 
Angola  was  not  under  their  care  to  anything  like  the 
same  extent. 

From  June  1861  to  the  end  of  1863, 1  was  engaged  in 
working  two  copper  deposits  at  Cuio  and  Benguelia,  and 
in  exploring  the  coast  from  Cassanza,  about  eighty  miles 
from  the  Kiver  Quanza,  as  far  as,  and  including  Mossa- 
medes  or  Little  Fish  Bay. 

In  these  explorations  I  did  not  go  inland  a  greater 
distance  than  about  thirty  or  forty  miles  at  Mossainedes, 
and  forty  or  fifty  at  Novo  Eedondo.  I  cannot,  therefore, 
speak  from  personal  knowledge  of  those  most  interesting 
places  in  the  interior,  Bihe  and  Bailundo,  or  the  Portu- 
guese districts  of  Caconda,  Quillengues,  Huilla,  Capan- 
gombe,  &c. 

The  geological  character  of  the  coast-line  from  the 
Quanza  to  Mossamedes  is  gneiss,  mostly  very  quartzose, 
then  with  a  good  deal  of  hornblende  and  mica  near  Cuio, 
passing  to  a  fine-grained  porphyry  and  fine  granite  with 
large,  distinct  feldspar  about  Mossamedes.  Close  to  the 
sea  these  primary  rocks  are  joined  by  a  line  of  tertiary 


250  ANGOLA  AND  THE  JilVER  CONGO. 

deposits,  principally  massive  gypsum,  and  sandstones  of 
different  thicknesses  curiously  separated  by  layers  of 
the  finest  dust.  Farther  south,  between  the  Eiver  San 
Nicolao  in  14''  S.  lat.  and  Mossamedes,  there  is  a  strip 
of  columnar  basalt  and  trap-rock  of  only  a  few  miles  in 
width. 

The  character  of  these  rocks  is  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  very  sterile  nature  of  the  country ;  in  fact,  most  of  it 
is  completely  a  rocky  desert,  without  a  drop  of  water, 
and  covered  with  but  little  grass  and  f right! idly  thorny 
bushes.  Although  this  is  the  general  character,  there  are 
numerous  places  of  the  greatest  beauty,  ])articularly  at 
a  distance  of  twenty  to  thirty  miles  from  the  coast,  where 
the  first  elevation  is  reached,  and  where  the  vegetation, 
as  in  the  rest  of  Angola,  changes  to  a  luxuriant  cha- 
racter. 

I'he  country  about  Cassanza  is  level  and  well-covered 
with  grass,  and  the  natives  appeared  inoffensive  and  quiet. 
They  have  a  considerable  quantity  of  fine  cattle,  and  what 
is  rare  amongst  the  natives  of  Angola,  they  milk  the  cows 
regularly  twice  a  day,  the  milk  being  a  principal  article 
of  food  with  them.  The  few  days  that  I  was  there  in 
1803,  I  enjoyed  the  abundance  of  beautiful  milk  im- 
mensely. 

The  Portuguese  with  whom  I  was  staying  was  then  en- 
gaged in  cotton  planting,  but  the  ground  did  not  appear 
very  suitable  for  its  cultivation.  He  also  had  a  beautiful 
cotton  and  sugar-cane  plantation  at  Benguella  Yelha,  and 
at  a  pretty  place  called  Cuvo,  where  there  is  a  small  river 
and  good  ground  near  its  mouth. 

On  that  occasion  I  had  come  up  in  a  sailing  barge  from 
Benguella  to  Novo  Kedondo,  to  explore  that  district  for 
copper,  specimens  of  the  ere  having  been  found  in  several 
places.  The  river  at  Novo  Eedondo  had  overflowed  its 
banks,  and  the  road  we  had  to  follow  was  under  water  foi* 
some  miles,  and  whilst  waiting  for  the  river  to  subside,  I 
started  to  Cuvo  and  Cassanza  to  see  the  C(nintry  and  my 
friend.  On  returning  to  Novo  Kedondo  I  obtained  for 
guide  the  services  of  a  jovial  and  useful  black  named 


NOVO  REDONDO.     CELTS.  251 

David,  wlio  had  been  educated  at  Bengnella.  He  could 
read  and  write  Portuguese,  which  language  he  s|)oke 
perfectly,  and  was  a  man  of  great  impoitanco  in  the  Novo 
Kedond')  country,  as  he  was  the  hereditary  king  of  the 
place,  and  was  to  be  proclaimed  as  such  as  soon  as  he 
could  make  up  his  mind  to  eat  a  man's  head  and  heart, 
roasted  or  stewed,  as  he  should  fancy.  David  was  not  at 
all  inclined  either  to  forego  his  kingship,  or  to  eat  any 
part  of  one  of  his  fellow-creatnre?,  which  by  the  custom 
of  his  country  it  was  imperative  he  should  do  to  be  pro- 
claimed king. 

He  had  been  putting  off  the  disagreeable  ceremony 
for  some  two  years,  if  I  remember  right,  but  his  people 
were  getting  impatient  at  not  having  a  king,  and  were 
threatening  to  elect  another.  How  he  got  over  the  diffi- 
culty, or  if  he  at  last  submitted  to  overcome  his  repug- 
nance to  roast  or  stewed  negro,  I  never  hearil. 

The  "  Mucelis,"  or  natives  of  Novo  Eedondo  and  of  the 
country  inland  callel  "Cells,"  are  cannibals,  and,  as  far  as 
I  could  ascertain,  tliere  are  no  others  in  Angola. 

The  Portuguese  have  no  stations  inland  on  that  part  of 
the  coast,  that  of  Caconda,  to  the  interior  and  south  of 
Bengueila,  being  the  first,  and  they  do'  not  allow  the 
practice  of  cannibalism  at  the  town  of  Novo  liedondo 
itself,  as  they  strictly  prohibit  and  punish  there,  as  in 
the  rest  of  Angola,  any  fetish  rite  or  custom,  but  I  fonnd 
that  at  Cuacra,  the  second  large  town  I  passed  on  my 
way  inland,  human  flesh  was  eaten,  and  in  several  other 
towns  I  passed  1  saw  evidences  of  this  custom  in  a  heap 
of  skulls  of  the  blacks  that  had  been  eaten  in  the  centie 
of  the  towns,  and  on  the  trees  were  also  the  clay  pots  in 
which  the  Hesh  was  cooked,  and  which,  according  to  their 
laws,  can  only  be  used  for  that  purpose. 

One  night  I  walked  out  of  my  hut  at  a  town  where  I 
was  sleeping,  and  seeing  that  no  one  was  about,  I  chose  a 
nice  skull  from  the  heap,  and  brought  it  home  and  pre- 
sented it  to  my  friend  Professor  Huxley,  who  exhibited  it 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Anthropological  Society.  I  had  pre- 
viously asked  whether  I  might  take  one  of  these  skulls. 


252  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

but  had  been  told  that  it  would  be  considered  a  great 
"  fetish  "  if  I  did,  and  David  begged  me  not  to  do  so,  as 
there  would  be  a  great  disturbance,  so  I  was  obliged  to 
steal  one  in  tlie  way  I  hay'e  described,  and  hide  it  care- 
fully in  my  portmanteau. 

It  is  only  natives  who  are  killed  for  '* fetish"  or  witch- 
craft that  are  eaten,  and  the  "  soba  "  or  king  of  the  town 
where  they  are  executed  has  the  head  and  heart  as  his 
share. 

I  was  informed  that  at  tliese  feasts  every  particle  of  the 
body  was  eaten,  even  to  the  entrails.  At  the  principal 
towns  of  Anibuin  and  Sanga  (said  to  be  the  capital)  I  was 
told  that  as  many  as  six  and  seven  blacks  were  eaten 
every  month,  and  that  the  "sobas"  of  those  two  towns, 
and  their  wives,  only  used  human  iat  to  anoint  their 
bodies  with. 

I  was  shown  at  one  of  the  towns  the  little  axe  with 
which  the  poor  wretches  were  decapitated,  and  which  was 
distinguished  from  others  used  by  the  natives  by  having 
a  lozenge-shaped  hole  in  the  blade. 

1  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  that,  notwithstanding 
their  cannibal  propensities,  the  natives  of  Novo  Redondo 
were  such  an  extremely  fine  race;  in  fact,  they  are  the 
finest  race  of  blacks,  in  every  way,  that  I  have  met  Avith 
in  Africa. 

Cannibalism  may  possibly  be  one  reason  of  their  supe- 
riority, from  this  custom  supplying  them  with  a  certain 
amount  of  animal  food  more  than  other  tribes  make  use 
of,  or  it  may  be  due  to  their  usual  food,  which  is  prin- 
cipally a  mixture  in  equal  parts  of  haricot  beans  and 
iiidian-corn,  being  very  much  more  nutritious  than  the 
diet  of  mandioca  meal,  of  almost  pure  starch,  that  sup- 
plies the  staple  food  of  other  tribes.  Whatever  the  reason 
may  be,  there  can  be  no  question  of  the  superior  physique 
and  qualities  of  this  cannibal  tribe. 

When  about  to  start  on  my  journey,  I  saw  that  only 
four  carriers  had  been  provided  for  my  hammock,  and  1 
refused  to  start  with  less  than  six  or  eight,  as  I  made 
sure,  judging  from  every  other  place  in  Africa  I  had 


CELIS,  253 


travelled  in,  that  I  should  have  to  walk  a  g^reat  deal,  as 
four  men,  even  in  Ambriz,  where  I  had  found  the  best 
carriers,  would  not  be  able  to  carry  me,  day  after  day, 
on  a  long  journey.  I  was  assured  that  it  was  never 
customary  to  have  more  than  four,  that  two  would  carry 
me  from  daybreak  till  noon,  and  the  other  two  from  noon 
till  sunset,  and  that  I  might  have  six  or  more,  but  that 
four  alone  would  carry  me  every  day.  This  I  found  was 
the  case,  not  only  in  that  journey,  but  also  when  returning 
overland  fj"om  Novo  Redondo  to  Benguella,  a  distance  of 
about  ninety  miles. 

Another  extremely  curious  feature,  distinguishing  them 
favourably  from  all  other  negro  races,  is  their  degree  of 
honesty  and  honour. 

Any  white  or  other  trader  going  into  the  interior  agrees 
to  pay  the  "soba"  of  a  town  the  customary  dues,  and  he 
provides  the  trader  with  a  clean  hut,  and  is  responsible 
for  tlie  goods  in  it.  The  trader  may  go  away  farther 
inland,  and  he  is  perfectly  certain  that  on  coming  back 
he  will  find  his  property  untouched,  exactly  as  he  left  it. 
Whilst  I  was  at  Novo  Redondo,  an  embassy  arrived  from 
a  town  in  the  interior,  where  a  Portuguese  had  established 
himself  to  trade  in  palm-oil  and  beeswax,  and  where  he 
had  died,  bringing  every  scrap  of  produce  and  goods 
belonging  to  him  to  deliver  the  same  to  the  "chete." 

They  were  paid  and  rewarded  for  their  honesty,  and  I 
was  told  that  it  was  the  usual  thing  for  these  natives  to 
do,  on  the  death  of  a  trader  in  their  country.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  other  part  of  Africa  where  such  an  example 
would  be  imitated,  certainly  not  by  the  Christian  negroes 
at  Sierra  Leone. 

There  is  a  magnificent  palm  forest  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  at  Novo  Redondo.  This  river  is  small,  but  brings 
down  a  considerable  body  of  water  in  the  rainy  season. 

I  crossed  it  on  the  second  day  of  my  journey  inland  by 
means  of  a  curiously  constructed  suspension-bridge  at- 
tached to  the  high  trees  on  either  side.  This  bridge  was 
made  entirely  of  the  stems  of  a  very  tough  tree-creeper, 
growing  in  great  lengths,  and  about  the  thickness  of  an 


254:  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

ordinary  walkiiig-stiek.  From  two  parallel  ropes  made 
of  this  creeper,  light  across  the  stream  and  about  two  feet 
apart,  hung  a  Irame  or  open,  Iar<2:e,  meshed  ha^ket-wurk 
alDout  three  feet  deep,  forming  a  kind  of  flexible  net  or 
trough  o[)en  at  the  top.  The  bottom  or  floor  of  tliis 
trough  was  made  of  the  same  creeper,  woven  roughly  and 
openly  in  the  same  manner  as  the  sides,  and  when  walking 
in  it,  I  found  it  necessary  to  be  careful  to  tread  on  the 
network,  or  my  feet  would  have  sh'pped  through,  and  to 
help  myself  along  by  holding  on  to  the  guys  or  ropes  at 
the  top,  which  readied  up  to  about  my  waist. 

The  length  of  the  bridge  must  have  been  some  thirty 
paces.  Near  it  I  noticed,  on  a  flat-topped  tree  of  no 
great  height,  a  large  bird  of  the  eagle  species  sitting  on 
Its  eggs  in  an  open  nest,  and  the  male  bird  on  a  branch 
near  his  mate ;  this  tree  was  quite  close  to  the  road  or 
path,  and  tliough  numerous  natives  passed  under  it  to  and 
fro,  neither  they  nor  the  birds  seemed  to  heed  one  another 
in  the  least. 

The  Cells  country  is  infested  with  lions,  but  I  was  not 
so  fortunate  as  to  see  one,  though  one  morning  we  came 
upon  the  fresh  footprints  of  what  the  natives  affirmed  to 
be  a  family  consisting  of  a  full-grown  male  and  female 
and  three  half-grown  young  ones.  To  my  inexperienced 
eyes  there  appeared  to  have  been  more,  so  numerous 
seemed  the  plainly-marked  footprints  in  the  moist  sand 
of  the  bottom  of  a  small  ravine. 

We  escaped  an  encounter  with  one  the  day  we  started 
on  our  trip.  About  half  past  four  in  the  afternoon  we 
arrived  at  a  pretty  clump  of  trees  round  a  pool  of  deli- 
ciously  cool  water,  and  near  a  low  line  of  rather  bare- 
looking  hills.  David  would  not  allow  our  carriers  to  tarry 
at  this  pool,  as  he  knew  it  to  be  the  evening  drinking- 
place  for  the  lions  living  in  the  low  hills  near.  We  went 
on,  and  shortly  after  we  met  an  old  Cabinda  man  on  his 
way  to  Novo  itedondo,  carrying  a  letter  tied  in  a  cleft 
stick  (the  usual  way  to  send  a  native  with  a  letter  in 
Angola).  He  was  an  acquaintance  of  David's,  who  had  a 
talk  with  him,  and  we  went  on  our  several  ways.     Next 


EOT  SPRINGS.  255 


morning  we  heard  that  the  poor  fellow  had  been  caught 
by  a  lion  not  more  than  an  hour  after,  and  at  the  very 
pool  of  water  where  David  had  warned  us  not  to  stop  long. 
Tiie  lion  liad  evidently  eaten  part  of  the  body  at  the  pool 
itself,  and  had  carried  off  the  re>t  to  its  lair  in  the  hills. 

I  went  t)  several  places  where  indications  of  copper  had 
been  found,  but  was  disappointed  in  finding  any  worth 
exploring.  They  were  all  in  the  recent  beds  at  the  junction 
or  near  the  primary  rock  of  the  country,  and  consisted  of 
indications  of  blue  and  green  carbonate  of  copper  in  the 
fine  sedimentary  uind  and  sandstone  beds.  Tliese  indi- 
cations are  most  abundant  everywhere  in  that  district, 
and  curiously  enough  the  plantain-eaters  are  also  most 
abundant,  more  so  than  in  any  other  part  of  Angola  I 
have  been  in.  I  went  as  i'ar  as  a  range  of  very  quartzose 
schist  rock  or  gneiss  mountains,  called  Ngello,  which  I 
suf)pose  to  be  between  forty  and  fifty  miles  from  the  sea ; 
and  at  a  pass  called  Tocota  on  the  road  to  some  important 
town  in  the  interior,  named  Dongo,  I  visited  a  hot-water 
spring  about  half  way  up  the  mountain  side.  I  had  no 
tliermometer  with  me,  but  the  water,  as  it  issued  from  a 
crevice  in  the  rock,  was  so  hot  that  I  could  only  keep  my 
hand  in  it  for  a  few  seconds. 

The  direction  of  the  mountain  range  was  about  N.N.E. 
byS.S.W. ;  the  rock  composing  it  was  nearly  vertical, 
inclining  slightly  to  the  west,  and  with  a  strike  about 
north  and  south.  There  is  a  most  picturesque  little  town 
of  huts  stuck  on  a  rocky  ledge,  and  the  natives  use  the 
\\ater  from  the  hot  springs  to  drink,  but  first  allow  it  to 
stand  a  day  to  cool.  It  has  a  very  pleasant  taste  when 
cold,  with  just  the  slightest  ferruginous  flavour.  From 
this  range  of  mountains  magnificent  views  are  obtained, 
the  scenery  and  vegetation  reminding  me  strongly  of 
Cazengo ;  and  there  can  be  no  question  that  it  is  likewise 
capable  of  growing  the  coifee-plant  to  perfection.  Some 
sugar-cane  I  saw  growing  there  was  as  fine  as  I  have  ever 
seen  it,  and  the  native  plantations  were  most  luxuriant. 
I  do  not  know  whether  trade  at  Novo  Kedondo  has 
increased  in  the  same  ratio  as  on  the  Quanza  and  Ambriz, 


256  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

but  that  it  is  destined  to  be  a  very  rich  country  I  have  no 
doubt.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  white  gum  in  the  country, 
collected  from  a  tree  of  which  whole  forests  are  said  to 
be  found. 

The  principal  article  of  trade  at  Novo  Redondo  when  I 
Avas  there  w^as  palm-oil,  which  was  mostly  bought  in  ex- 
change for  rum,  measure  for  measure,  and  I  often  saw  the 
very  gourds  and  pots  in  wdiich  the  natives  brought  the 
palm-oil  filled  up  with  the  rum  in  exchange  without 
any  more  cleansing  than  allowing  the  vessels  to  well 
drain  off  the  oil. 

I  noticed  a  great  variety  of  birds,  and  I  am  sure  the 
country  would  well  repay  a  collector's  trouble.  In  the 
middle  of  a  small  cultivated  valley  I  saw  a  low,  flat-topped 
baobab,  which  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  a  flock  of 
eight  or  ten  birds  about  the  size  of  a  thrush,  of  a  black 
colour,  with  smoky  white  feathers  on  the  wings.  They 
had  built  a  common  nest  on  the  flat  top  of  the  tree,  and 
were  all  sitting  hatching  their  eggs  together,  quite  unpro- 
tected from  the  sun.  This  bird  is  the  Amydrus  Jidvijpennis, 
S\v.,  of  ornithologists. 

1  also  saw  numbers  of  a  beautiful  green  pigeon  (Treron 
ealva)y  which  is  very  fat  and  good  to  eat.  The  food  of 
this  bird  is  principally  fruit  and  berries,  especially  the 
small  figs  of  the  "  Slucozo,"  a  large-leaved,  handsome  tree. 
They  are  generally  seen  in  small  flocks,  and  they  sit  very 
close  on  the  trees  whilst  feeding,  during  which  operation 
they  utter  a  curious  low  noise,  as  of  people  talking  at  a 
distance.  If  alarmed,  they  suddenly  hush  and  stop  eating 
until  the  alarm  has  passed  away,  when  they  re-commence 
feeding.  The  natives  state  that  if  a  man  is  completely 
concealed,  he  can  shoot  a  number,  one  after  the  other,  off 
the  same  tree  where  a  flock  Tuay  be  feeding,  as  the  dis- 
charire  of  the  gun  is  not  sufficient  to  fi-io'hten  them  awav 
if  they  do  not  see  the  sportsman. 

The  natives  here  are  great  bee-keepers,  as  are  also  the 
natives  on  both  banks  of  the  Quanza.  The  hives  are  to 
be  seen  on  almost  every  baobab,  this  being  the  tree 
chosen  in  preference  to  any  other,  and  as  many  as  four 


BEES.  257 


or  five  hives  may  be  seen  on  one  tree.  They  are  made 
by  splitting?  a  piece  of  wood,  e^enerally  a  branch  of  a  tree 
Avith  the  bark  on,  about  five  feet  long  and  ten  or  twelve 
inches  in  diameter ;  the  centre  is  scooped  out,  leaving  the , 
ends  entire;  the  two  halves  are  securely  tied  together, 
and  three  holes  large  enough  to  admit  the  little  finger 
are  bored  at  each  end.  An  aperture  is  cut  in  the  middle 
of  the  hollow  cylinder,  where  the  two  halves  are  joined 
together,  large  enough  to  admit  the  hand.  This  aper- 
ture is  closed  with  a  piece  of  wood,  and  clayed  over  to 
thoronghly  prevent  any  rain  from  getting  in.  The  hive 
is  securely  placed  in  the  branches  of  the  tree,  and  a  quan- 
tity of  dry  grass  put  over  it  as  a  roof  or  thatch. 

Once  a  year  the  owner  climbs  the  tree  and  draws  up  a 
basket  for  the  wax  and  honey  with  a  cord,  and  al>o  some 
dry  grass  and  fire.  He  opens  the  aperture,  and,  lighting 
wisps  of  grass,  smokes  the  bees  as  they  issue  out.  Most 
of  tliem  drop  half  suffocated  to  the  ground,  and  tlie  comb 
is  extracted,  a  small  quantity  being  left  behind  to  induce 
the  bees  to  work  again  in  the  same  hive.  If  no  comb  be 
left,  the  natives  affirm  that  they  will  not  return  to  the 
hive.  In  some  places  the  natives  are  careful  not  to  kill 
any  of  the  bees,  and  are  said  to  extract  the  comb  as  often 
as  three  times  a  year.  Bee-hives  are  the  principal  wealth 
of  these  blacks,  and  some  families  possess  as  many  as  three 
and  four  hundred. 

I  was  told  that  very  little  wild  honey  or  wax  was  found, 
and  that  a  bird  was  known  to  the  natives  that  showed 
them  where  the  wild  bees'  nests  were.  They  called  it 
*'  sole,"  and  described  it  as  having  a  white  bar  across  its 
tail,  and  making  its  nest  of  the  hair  of  different  animals 
which  it  collected  for  the  purpose. 

The  IMucelis  have  a  curious  custom  which  I  have  not 
heard  of  as  existing  in  any  other  tribe,  namely,  that  on 
the  death  of  the  great  "  sobas  "  of  Ambuin  and  Sanga,  all 
fires  in  the  kingdom  must  be  put  out,  and  relighted 
by  the  succeeding  '•  soba  "  from  fire  struck  by  rubbing  two 
sticks  together. 

Their  laws,  principally  those  relating  to  the  protection 

s 


258  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO, 


of  property,  are  very  strict,  slavery  being  the  punishment 
forevea  tritiing"  robberies,  such  as  a  cob  of  growing  indian- 
corn,  or  an  e^^.  Oddly  enough,  tliey  liave  the  same  custom 
of  the  *'  lent  rat "  as  in  Cambambe,  and  the  punishment  if 
it  is  not  returned  entire  is  a  heavy  fine,  or  in  default 
slavery. 

To  show  the  extent  of  some  beliefs  in  Angola  amongst 
tribes  far  apart,  speaking  dififerent  languages,  and  having 
not  the  slightest  communication  with  each  other,  I  may 
mention  that  amongst  the  Mushicongos  a  certain  field- 
mouse  is  believed  to  drop  down  dead  if  it  crosses  at  the 
point  where  one  path  is  intersected  by  another,  and  I 
found  this  absurd  idea  entertained  exactly  in  the  same 
manner  in  the  Celis  country.  I  presented  a  skin  of  this 
mouse  to  the  British  Museum.  It  is  nearest  to  the  Mus 
Gambianus  in  the  same  collection. 

Some  of  the  natives  from  the  interior  of  Novo  Redondo 
had  the  most  extraordinary  way  of  wearing  their  hair  of 
jany  I  have  seen  in  Africa ;  amongst  other  curious  fancies 
jthe  most  usual  and  striking  was  that  of  fashioning  it  into 
the  exact  resemblance  of  a  large  Roman  helmet  with  a 
projecting  round  horn  in  front.  The  custom  of  wearing  a 
great  thickness  of  strings  of  flat  beads  made  of  shell, 
and  called  *'dougos,"  is  universal.  They  are  also  worn 
by  the  Mundombes,  or  natives  of  Benguella,  and  are 
mostly  made  in  the  Celis  country.  They  are  made  from 
the  shell  of  the  Achatina  monetarla,  Morelet,  which  is 
broken  and  chipped  into  little  round  pieces  about  the 
size  of  a  fourpenny  bit,  and  these  are  strung  on  a  string. 
Tlie  labour  and  time  taken  in  their  manufacture  may  be 
imagined,  as  it  takes  several  yards  of  these  flat  beads 
coiled  round  the  neck  to  make  a  proper  necklace,  about 
the  thiQkness  of  a  man's  arm.  This  once  put  on  is  never 
taken  off  again  during  life,  and  becomes  a  filthy  mass  of 
dirt,  grease,  and  perspiration.  The  women  also  wear  these 
strings  or  "Quirandas"  (weighing  sometimes  as  much  as 
20  to  30  lbs.)  round  the  waist,  and  they  pass  as  money  in 
the  country. 

From  Novo  Eedondo  I  returned  overland  to  Benguella, 


EGITO.    SCORPIONS.  259 

fording  the  Kiver  Quicombo,  at  the  mouth  of  which  the 
Portuguese  have  a  small  detachment,  and  where  a  few 
traders  are  established.  This  river  is  broad,  but  shallow 
where  I  crossed  it,  about  six  miles  from  the  sea. 

The  road  was  generally  good  and  not  far  from  the  sea ; 
it  passed  along  and  across  several  ravines,  in  which  I 
noticed  a  great  quantity  of  the  castor-oil  plant  growing 
most  luxuriantly. 

Late  in  the  evening  I  arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  valley 
of  the  River  Egito,  at  the  mouth  of  which  is  situated  the 
Portuguese  station  of  Egito.  It  was  getting  dark,  and 
there  was  a  steep  and  long  hillside  to  descend,  and  some 
distance  to  go  afterwards  before  reaching  the  house  of  the 
"  chete,"  \vhose  guest  I  was  to  be.  I  therelbre  determined 
to  make  snug  for  the  night  under  a  great  baobab  growing 
close  to  a  wall  of  rock,  and  my  carriers  were  clearing  a 
space  from  leaves  and  branches  for  my  bed  and  mosquito 
curtain,  when  one  cf  them  was  stung  in  the  foot  by  a 
scorpion. 

These  poisonous  creatures  are  extremely  abundant  in 
the  whole  of  the  district  of  Benguella,  and  cases  are  con- 
stantly occurring  of  persons  being  stung  by  them.  In 
some  places  hardly  a  stone  or  piece  of  wood  can  be  lifted 
from  the  ground  \\itliout  finding  one  or  more  scorpions 
under  it.  They  are  of  all  sizes,  up  to  six  and  seven 
inches  long.  Their  sting  is  rarely  fatal,  except  to  old 
people  or  persons  in  a  bad  state  of  health.  The  effects  of 
the  sting  are,  however,  very  extraordinary  ;  in  severe  cases 
it  appears  to  paralyse  all  the  muscles  of  the  body,  some- 
times with  much  pain,  in  others  with  little  or  none. 

The  black  stung  on  the  occasion  I  am  describing  com.- 
pluined  of  a  good  deal  of  pain  during  the  night,  but  only 
after  some  hours,  or  I  might  have  thought  of  burning  the 
part  with  a  hot  iron  at  first ;  his  comrades  applied  hot  oil 
to  his  foot,  but  in  the  morning  he  had  lost  the  use  of  his 
legs  completely.  I  had  to  put  him  into  my  hammock  and 
have  him  carried  to  Egito.  Here  I  remained  with  my 
friend  the  "  chefe  "  for  four  days,  and  the  wounded  black 
was  laid  in  the  sun  every  day  to  keep  him  warm,  the 

s  2 


260  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

usual  custom  in  such  cases,  a  sensation  of  cold  always 
accompanyinij:  tlie  subsequent  stages  of  a  scorpion  bite. 
On  the  fourth  day  lie  had  acquired  so  much  use  of  his 
limbs  that  he  could  drag  himself  in  a  sitting  position  on 
tlie  ground  to  a  sunny  corner,  still  complaining  of  cold, 
but  his  appetite  seemed  good. 

I  left  liim  to  the  care  of  the  '*  chefe,"  asking  him  to 
send  him  on  to  me  at  Benguella  as  soon  as  he  should  be 
able  to  walk.  A  week  after  he  came  to  me  there  quite 
recovered.  Another  case  of  scorpion-bite  was  described 
to  me  by  a  Portuoruese  officer  (a  mulatto)  who  was  *'  chefe  " 
of  the  district  of  Dombe  Grande,  to  the  south  of  Benguella. 
The  man,  a  tall,  stout,  powerful  and  healthy  fellow,  whilst 
sitting  one  evening  outside  his  house,  smoking:  and  talking 
with  his  family,  chanced  to  drop  one  of  his  slijipers  while 
crossing  one  \eg  over  the  other ;  on  rising  after  some  time 
and  putting  his  foot  into  the  slipper,  a  scorpion  that  had 
taken  refuge  in  it  stung  him  in  the  big  toe.  He  did  not 
think  much  of  the  occurrence,  but  he  gradually  became 
worse,  and  next  day  could  not  rise  from  his  bed ;  his  legs 
and  arms  were  completely  paralysed,  but  without  any 
pain,  and  his  tongue  being  but  little  affected  he  could 
speak  and  swallow  without  difficulty.  His  mind  was  per- 
fectly clear,  and  he  only  felt  a  certain  degree  of  numbness 
and  cold.  Not  expecting  to  survive  he  dictated  his  will, 
and  remained  thus  paralysed  for  five  or  six  days,  when 
he  gradually  recovered,  and  was  well  in  about  a  fortnight's 
time  and  without  the  least  inconvenient  after-effect. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  valley  of  Egito  was  one 
of  the  grandest  sights  I  have  ever  seen.  The  river  was 
visible  for  a  considerable  distance  inland,  fringed  by  a 
dark  band  of  palm  forest.  The  level  spaces  between  it 
and  the  high  rocky  sides  of  the  valley  in  which  it  ran 
"were  filled  with  luxuriant  cultivated  fields,  and  as  the  vast 
rolling  mists  were  dissipated  by  the  morning  rays  of  the 
sun,  presented  a  panorama  of  peaceful  pastoral  beauty 
that  I  have  never  seen  surpassed. 

The  Portuguese  have  here  a  pretty  little  fort  on  an 
eminence,  a  small  garrison  being  necessary  as  the  natives 


THE  RIVEE  ANHA.  261 


from  the  interior  sometimes  give  considerable  trouble, 
by  coming  down  and  attacking  the  plantations  farthest  re- 
moved from  the  town,  but  without  doing  any  great  damage 
beyond  keeping  the  inhabitants  in  a  state  of  alarm. 

From  Egito  I  continued  my  journey,  sleeping  the  next 
night  at  the  valley  of  the  River  Anha,  where  I  had  been 
warned  against  an  attack  of  the  natives,  several  Portuguese 
traders  having  been  robbed  there.  I  did  not  take  any 
goods  with  me,  and  provided  myself  with  a  few  bottles  of 
rum  as  a  present  for  the  "  soba,"  feeling  convinced  that 
no  harm  would  be  done  me  by  them. 

On  arriving  at  the  river,  a  small  stream  flowing  through 
a  valley  of  lovely  forest  scenery,  1  crossed  and  encamped 
under  a  tree  on  the  southern  bank.  I  then  sent  one  of 
my  blacks,  who  knew  the  "  soba,"  with  a  bottle  of  rum 
and  a  request  that  he  would  come  and  have  a  drink  with 
me.  When  he  arrived,  with  about  a  dozen  of  the  old 
men  of  the  town,  I  was  just  sitting  down  to  my  dinner. 
Being  well  up  in  the  customs  of  the  blacks  of  An^iola,  I 
made  him  sit  down  on  my  portmanteau,  and  asked  him 
through  one  of  my  men  who  acted  as  interpreter,  how  he 
and  his  wives  and  sons  were,  and  if  his  country  "  was  well," 
to  which  he  duly  answered,  and  asked  me  in  my  turn 
where  I  had  come  from,  and  where  I  was  going?  Proper 
answers  being  given,  I  filled  a  tumbler  with  wine,  and 
after  drinking  a  portion  (to  show  that  there  was  no 
"fetish"  in  it)  I  handed  the  rest  to  him,  and  a  couple  of 
bottles  of  rum  for  his  old  men.  I  then  gave  him  some  of 
my  dinner,  which  happened  to  be  boiled  fowl,  rice,  and 
sweet  potatoes,  a  portion  of  all  which,  with  biscuit  or  bread, 
must  be  given,  put  on  the  plate,  and  a  spoon  to  eat  it  with. 
There  is  a  significance  in  all  these  minutiae  to  which  great 
importance  is  attached  by  the  blacks,  and  by  which  they 
know  if  the  white  man  is  a  gentleman  or  a  common  man. 
IMy  seating  him  on  my  portmanteau  was  considered  equi- 
valent to  a  chair,  because  it  was  part  of  my  furniture,  and 
a  "  soba  "  must  not  sit  on  the  ground  if  there  is  a  chair  or 
stool  to  be  had. 

If  I  had  nothing  else  then  I  should  have  had  to  provide 


262  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

a  mat  for  him  to  squat  upon.  Giving  liirn  my  own  wine 
to  drink,  and  rum  to  the  rest,  was  equal  to  showing  him  a 
special  regard  as  distinguished  from  that  shown  to  them  ; 
tlie  plateful  of  every  part  of  my  dinner,  that  I  con- 
sidered liim  as  an  equal';  and  the  spoon,  that  I  also 
believed  him  to  be  a  big  chief  who  did  not  eat  iiis  food 
with  his  fingers. 

After  finishing  his  plateful  he  retired  with  his  old  men, 
and  shortly  alter  sent  me  a  couple  of  fowls  and  a  basket 
with  fresh  mandioca  roots  for  my  blacks ;  I  returned  tlie 
compliment  witli  a  lew  yards,  of  cotton  cloth,  and  went  to 
sleep  knowing  that  I  should  not  be  distiiibed  in  any  way. 
He  could  not  attack  or  rob  me  after  drinking  my  wine 
and  eating  my  dinner,  as  it  would  havei)een  great  "fetish," 
according  to  the  customs  of  the  blacks  in  Angola. 

They  \\ould,  besides,  have  been  afraid  of  the^  con- 
sequences, not  only  of  having  committed  "fetish,"  but  also 
of  the  heavy  fine  that  1  could  have  made  the  "soba"  and 
his  people  pay,  through  any  other  neighbouring  tribe  to 
whom  1  might  have  complained  of  such  a  crime  having 
been  perpetrated  in  their  country.  Had  1  been  molested, 
any  accident  or  ill  luck,  want  of  rains,  sickness  or  death 
that  might  have  happened  to  his  tribe,  would  be  at  once 
attribuied  to  the  "  fetish  "  committed  by  the  "  soba  "^and 
his  council  of  old  men. 

I  started  again  early  next  morning,  and  at  noon  arrived 
at  the  bay  of  Lobito,  a  beautiful  and  singular  natural 
dock  with  a  narrow  deep  mouth,  and  large  enough  to  hold 
a  great  fleet.  This  would  be  an  invaluable  site  for  a  city, 
the  only  disadvantage  being  the  absence  of  a  stream  of 
fresh  water  in  the  ira medial e  vicinity.  Jn  tlie  evening  I 
arrived  at  Catumbella,  after  passing  through  a  thick 
jungle  of  a  shrub  (Seshania  punctata,  Pers.)  bearing  bright 
yellow  pea-like  flowers  thickly  spitted  with  purple,  and 
alwavs  found  growing  in  swamps  and  inarshy  places  in 
Angola,  both  near  the  sea  and  inland. 

Catumbella  is  an  injportant  place,  and  is  about  nine 
miles  to  the  noith  of  the  town  of  Benguella.  The  Por- 
tuguese have  there  a  fine  little  fort  on  a  hill,  a  commo- 


CATUMBELLA.  263 


dious  **  residencia "  of  the  "  chefe,"  and  a  small  detach- 
luent  of  soldiers  from  Bengiiella. 

There  is  here  a  pretty  little  river,  very  brond  and 
shallow,  so  tlint  it  can  always  be  forded  except  during  the 
heavy  rains.  It  is  very  full  of  allig^ators,  which  are  con- 
stantly carrying  off  l»lacks  whilst  ciossing. 

The  scenery  at.  Catiimbella,  about  three  or  four  miles 
from  ^the  sea,  and  i'or  some  little  distance  inland,  is 
exquisite,  from  the  hilly  and  rocky  cliaracter  of  the 
country  and  the  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation,  both  wild 
and  cultivated. 

From  the  top  of  a  mountain  near  Caturabella  which, 
with  one  opf)osite,  forms  the  deep  gorge  or  valley  through 
which  the  river,  dotted  with  green  islands,  passes,  the 
view  is  one  ofthe  greatest  loveliness. 

There  are  many  traders  established  here,  and  a  large 
trade  is  done  with  the  natives  of  the  interior  in  wax,  ivory, 
gum-copal,  white  gum,  &c.    - 

It  is  on  the  high  road  to  those  very  important  and 
extensive  countries  of  tlie  interior,  Bailundo,  Bihe,  and 
others,  reputed  to  enjoy  excellent  climate  and  most  fertile 
soil,  and  never  yet  visited  except  by  a  very  few  Por- 
tuguese traders,  who  have  gone  very  far  beyond,  even 
nearly  reaching  the  east  coast,  after  ivory. 

I  had  a  very  unpleasant  experience  once-  at  Catumbella 
of  the  sufffrings  of  hunger  and  thirst.  I  went  with  an 
old  Portuguese  to  vi^it  the  place  inland  where  a  very  fine 
sample  of  copper  ore  had  been  found  by  the  natives.  We 
started  at  daybreak,  and  our  pretended  guide  told  us 
that  we  couLl  reach  the  place  and  be  back  at  noon  for 
breakfast.  Kelying  on  his  statement,  we  only  took  half 
a  dozen  biscuits  and  a  tin  of  jam  with  us. 

It  was  noon  when  we  left  the  Kiver  Catumbella,  after 
travelling  over  several  miles  of  very  rocky  ground,  and 
struck  due  south.'  Shortly  after,  we  luckily  met  with  an 
intelligent  young  Mundombe,  who  told  us  we  were  going 
quite  wrong  and  volunteered  to  show  us-  the  place,  as  it 
was  some  considerable  distance  off  in  quite  another  direc- 
tion.    To  cut  a  long  story  short,  .we  only  got  to  a  spring 


264  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

of  beautiful  water  in  the  evenin<^,  where  we  finished  our 
three  biscuits  each  and  tin  of  sweets. 

Next  day  we  journeyed  on,  aud  only  reached  the  locality 
we  souoht  at  noon.  Having  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink, 
we  started  back  as  fast  as  we  could  to  Catumbella,  only 
reaching  the  river  at  sunset,  and  the  way  we  rushed  to 
the  water's  edge  to  drink  was  amusing.  We  had  then  a 
long  high  hill  to  ascend,  and  only  at  midnight  arrived  at 
a  black  trader's  hut,  who  most  fortunately  had  prepared  a 
good  dinner  for  us,  as  he  had  expected  us  the  evening 
before. 

My  companion  was  more  dead  than  alive.  However, 
some  wine  our  black  friend  had  had  the  forethought  to 
send  to  Catumbella  for,  and  the  excellent  fowl  soup  he 
had  prepared  soon  set  him  to  rights,  and  we  left  again  to 
reach  Catumbella  at  daybreak,  completely  worn  out  with 
fatigue  and  want  of  sleep. 

Our  friends  had  prepared  an  expedition  to  seek  for 
us,  almost  giving  us  up  for  lost,  as  they  knew  we  had 
taken  no  provisions  with  us.  The  country  was  very  arid 
and  stony,  and  the  vegetation  mostly  prickly  trees  and 
bushes.  I  subsequently  sent  a  miner  ^^ith  a  party  of 
blacks  from  Benguella  to  bring  away  the  little  copper  ore 
at  the  place  I  visited.  The  total  weight  raised  was  about 
half  a  ton  of  very  good  quality,  but  no  more  was  to  be 
seen.  The  manner  in  which  small  quantities  of  copper 
ore  are  thus  found,  in  many  places  in  Benguella,  is  most 
extraordinary. 


(    265    ) 


CHAPTER  XVL 


TOWN  OF  BENGUELLA  —  SLAVE-TRADE  —  MUNDOMBES  — 
CUSTOMS  —  COPPER  —  HYENAS  —  MONKEYS  —  COPPER 
DEPOSIT  —  GYPSUM  —  HORNBILLS  —  BIRDS  —  FISH  — 
LIONS. 

The:  town  of  Benguella  is  situated  on  a  level  plain  near 
tlie  sea,  and  backed,  at  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  by  a 
line  of  bills.  The  appearance  of  the  town  from  the  sea 
is  rather  picturesque ;  to  the  north,  at  a  distance  of  little 
more  than  a  mile,  is  seen  the  green  belt  of  forest  marking 
the  course  of  the  River  Cavaco,  a  white  sandy  bed  in  the 
dry,  and  a  broad,  shallow  running  stream  in  the  rainy 
season. 

1  he  town  is  large,  consisting  of  good  houses  and  stores, 
irregularly  distributed  over  several  fine  squares  and  roads  ; 
the  custom  of  the  houses  having  laige  walled  gardens 
and  enclosures  for  slaves,  in  the  former  times,  stamping  it 
witb  a  wide  straggling  character. 

In  the  wet  season  the  squares  and  roads  are  all  covered 
with  a  luxuriant  growth,  of  grass  and  weeds  in  flower, 
giving  the  town  the  appearance  of  a  wild  garden. 

The  soil  of  Bengueila  is  very  fertile,  and  all  kinds  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  grow  splendidly.  The  trade  is  large 
and  increasinii:  yearly,  particularly  in  beeswax,  of  which 
a  great  quantity  is  exported.  There  is,  of  course,  the 
usual  incubus  of  the  custom-house,  with  its  high  duties 
and  vexations  weighing  heavily  on  all  enterprise  and 
commerce.  Not  far  from  tlie  beach  is  a  large  fort,  garri- 
soned with  a  force  of  soldiers  that  supplies  detachments 
to  the  districts  of  Dombe  Grande,  Egito,  Novo  Redondo, 
Catumbella,  Caconda,  and  Quillengues. 


26G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

During  the  time  of  the  slave-trade  Bengnella  was  one  of 
the  principal  shipping  ports  of  Angola,  many  tliousands 
of  slaves  being  sent  oflf  from  it  to  the  Brazils  aiid  Cuba. 
The  last  two  or  three  shipments  took  place  whilst  1  was 
working  the  copper  deposits  near  Cuio  Bay  and  at  Qnileba, 
near  Benguella.  They  were  principally  brought  for  sale 
by  the  natives  of  Bihe ;  and  I  once  saw  a  caravan  of  nearly 
3000  blacks  arrive,  of  whom  1000  were  slaves  for  sale. 
The  whole  caravan  was  loaded  with  beeswax  and  other 
produce  lor  barter. 

Of  these  and  other  slaves  that  constantly  arrived  only 
a  few  were  shipped  ;  the  rest  were  then  in  great  demand 
for  extensive  cotton-plantations  from  Benguella  to  Mossa- 
medes.  Uhe  average  price  of  a  full-grown,  healthy  man 
or  woman  was  about  three  pounds  in  cloth  or  other 
goods,  and  as  low  as  five  shillings  for  a  little  nigger.  I 
must  do  the  traders  at  Benguella  the  justice  to  say  that 
they  never  separated  mother  and  child ;  as  for  other  ties 
of  relationship,  they  did  not  seem  to  exist  amongst  the 
sla^es  brought  down  for  sale,  and  I  never  heard  of  any 
being  claimed  by  them.  There  was  no  cruelty  whatever 
in  the  manner  the  slaves  were  brought  in  the  caravans 
from  the  interior,  and  they  were  never  bound  or  coerced 
in  any  way. 

The  last  shipments  of  slaves  took  place  from  "Bahia 
Farta,'*  a  few  miles  south  of  Benguella.  Every  one  in 
Benguella,  from  the  governor  of  the  district  to  the  lowest 
employe,  knew  of  the  transaction,  and  received  the  regular 
scale  of  fees  for  shutting  their  eyes  to  it. 

I  am  happy  to  say,  however,  that  every  one  of  the 
shipments  turned  out  a  total  loss  to  the  shippers,  though 
they  stood  to  gain  enormous  profits,  the  price  of  the  raw 
article  being,  say  three  pounds,  and  worth  some  thirty 
pounds  each  on  arrival  at  Cuba.  The  slave-trade  in  the 
district  of  Benguella  died  out  entirely  from  the  activity 
of  the  cruisers  off'  the  coast  of  Cuba,  and  from  the  Spanish 
authorities  captuiing  the  slaves  after  they  were  landed  on 
the  island.  The  Spanisli  slave-dealers  also  no  longer  sent 
cash  and  vessels  to  Angola  for  the  purchase  and  shipment 


BEN  QUELL  A:  SLAVE-TIiADE.  267 


of  slaves,  and  the  consequence  was  that  tlie  proceeds  of 
several  cargoes  shipped  at  the  expense  of  the  Portuguese 
traders  on  the  coast  were  enth-ely  appropriated  by  the 
Spaniards,  who  did  not  even  vouclisafe  an  acknowledgment 
of  the  cargoes,  but  left  the  captains  and  supercargoes  to 
think  themselves  lucky  that  they  escaped  with  their  lives. 

Only  a  very  large  number  ^of  cruisers  on  the  Angolan 
coast  could  have  prevented  the  shipment  of  slaves,  as 
every  man  and  woman,  white  or  black,  was  interested  in  the 
trade,  and  a  perfect  system  of  communication  existed  from 
all  points,  overland  and  by  sea.  The  few  foreigners  wdio, 
like  myself,  were  not  interested  in  the  slave-trade,  knew 
better  than  to  risk  their  lives  by  meddling  with  what 
it  was  absolutely  impossible  they  could  prevent.  Other 
foreigners  and  Englishmen  were  indirectly  interested  in 
the  trade,  such  as  the  traders  at  Ambriz  and  farther 
north,  who,  as  already  mentioned,  received  hard  cash  in 
Spanish  gold,  at  a  profit  of  two  to  three  hundred  per 
cent,  for  the  goods  of  pious  Manchester  and  Liverpool, 
with  which  almost  every  one  of  the  thousands  of  slaves 
shipped  were  bought. 

Before  the  war  in  America  raised  the  price  of  cotton 
so  high  as  to  induce  the  Portuguese  at  Benguella  and 
Mossamedes  to  plant  cotton  on  a  large  scale,  a  great  many 
slaves  were  employed  in  picking  orchilla-weed,  which 
grew  abundantly  on  the  trees  and  bushes  within  the  in- 
fluence of  the  sea  air;  and  I  knew  men  who  had  their 
two  or  three  hundred  slaves  thus  engaged,  collecting  as 
much  as  from  two  to  three  tons  a  day.  Tliere  is  very  little 
collected  at  present,  the  country  having  been  picked 
nearly  bare,  and  the  aniline  dyes  so  reducing  the  price 
in  Europe  that  it  was  no  longer  worth  seeking.  These 
slaves  were  gradually  employed  in  cotton-planting  instead, 
and  fortunes  were  made  by  the  successful  planters. 

All  these  flourishing  plantations  will  be  completely  de- 
stroyed on  the  coming  liberation  of  the  slaves,  as  no- 
thing will  induce  the  natives  of  Benguella  to  work  at 
anything  of  the  kind.  They  belong  to  a  tribe  called  the 
Mundombes,  who  are  of  a  wild,  roving  disposition,  and  very 


208  ANGOLA  AND  THE  UIVER  CONGO, 

unlike  the  reslrof  the  tribes  inhabiting  Angola.  Their 
clothing  is  principally  skins  and  hides  of  sheep  or  wild 
animals,  and  they  rub  their  bodies  and  heads  with  rancid 
cow's  butter  or  oil,  with  which  they  are  fond  of  mixing 
charcoal  dust,  and  they  arc  the  only  natives  in  Antrola 
who  wear  sandals  (made  of  raw  hide)  on  their  feet.  They 
are  very  dirty,  never  making  use  of  water  for  washing; 
are  generally  about  the  middle  height,  and  ngly  in  face. 
The  women  especially  are  very  rarely  comely,  either  in 
face  or  figure,  and  they  will  not  live  with  or  intermarry 
with  blacks  of  other  tribes.  Their  huts  are  mostly  round- 
roofed  and  low.  (Plate  XIII.)  They  are  very  independent, 
and  will  not  hire  themselves  to  any  kind  of  work.' 

The  women  cultivate  the  ground  for  the  indispensable 
mandioca  and  beans;  the  men  hunt,  and  tend  large  herds 
of  cattle  that  thrive  remarkably  well  in  the  country,  and 
also  flocks  of  sheep  which  they  rear  for  food. 

Cattle  are  their  principal  riches,  and  are  seldom  killed 
for  food,  except  when  the  owner  dies,  when,  if  he  be 
a  *'soba"  or  chief,  as  many  as  300  oxen  have  been 
known  to  be  killed  and  eaten  at  one  sitting,  lasting  for 
several  days.  On  these  occasions  the  whole  tribe  and 
friends  are  assembled,  heaps  of  firewood  collected,  fires  lit, 
and  oxen  killed  one  after  the  other  till  the  herd  is  eaten 
up,  not  a  native  moving  away  from  the  feast  or  gorge  till 
the  last  scrap  is  consumed.  The  flesh  is  cut  into  long 
thin  strips  and  wound  round  long  skewers,— these  are 
stuck  upright  round  the  fires,  and  the  meat  only  allowed 
to  cook  slightly.  The  meat  is  eaten  alone,  without  any 
other  food  whatever  and  without  salt,  as  that  would 
make  them  drink,  which  they  do  not  do  as  they  affirm 
it  would  prevent  them  from  eating  much  meat ;  the  blood, 
entrails,  and  even  the  liide,  toasted  to  make  it  eatable, 
are  consumed,  a  big  feast  lasting  from  ten  to  fifteen  days, 
or  sometimes  more. 

I  have  often  seen  Mundombes  rolling  on  the  ground 
groaning  with  pain,  and  on  asking  what  was  the  matter 
with  them,  have  been  answered  with  a  iaugli,  "  Oh !  he 
has  eaten  too  much  meat ! ! " 


III: 


ssiiii!iiii:iii  pifiu  <^ 


MUNDOMBES:  CUSTOMS.  269 

They  are  fond  of  dividing  their  cattle  into  herds  of 
100  head  each,  and  are  wonderfully  clever  at  tracking 
strayed  cattle,  and  also  in  recognizing  any  they  may  have 
once  seen.   • 

A  most  singular  custom  of  tlicse  natives  is  that  of 
the  women  and  girl?:,  with  their  heads  covered  with 
green  leaves  and  carrying  branches  of  trees  in  their 
hands,  and  singing  in  chorus,  taking  round  to  all  their 
friends  and  acquaintances  any  young  woman  of  their  tribe 
who  is  about  to  be  married ;  but  the  most  curious  part 
of  the  ceremony  is  the  manner  in  which  the  interesting 
3^oung  bride  is  prepared.  She  is  stripped  perfectly  naked, 
and  whitewashed  from  head  to  foot  with  a  thick  mixture 
of  a  kind  of  pipe-clay  and  water,  which  dries  perfectly 
white,  and  in  this  manner  she  is  taken  in  procession  to 
visft  and  receive  the  congratulations  of  her  friends. 

I  never  could  learn  what -the  meaning  of  this  ceremonj^ 
was;  they  always  confined  themselves  to  telling  me  "that 
it  was  their  custom  to  do  so." 

It  appears  that  this  extraordinary  custom  is  also  com- 
mon to  some  hill  tribes  in  India  and  in  the  Andes  of 
South  America,  but  I  never  heard  of  it  anywhere  else 
in  Africa. 

The  richer  Mundombes  have  an  odd  manner  of  making 
their  beds.  A  layer  of  clay  about  six  or  nine  inches  thick 
and  about  two  feet  wide  is  made  in  the  huts,  and  when 
dry  constitutes  their  sleeping  place;  this  they  rub  over 
with  rancid  butter  to  make  it  smooth,  and  they  lie  on  it 
without  any  skin  or  cloth  under  them ! 

The  Mundombes  generally  wear  their  hair  in  a  large 
woolly  bush,  but  the  young  men  and  women  cut  it  into  a 
variety  of  strange  forms  and  patterns. 

Their  arms  are  knobbed  sticks  often  fancifully  carved, 
small  axes  (Plate  XIV.),  bows  and  arrows,  and  '*assagaias" 
or  spears,  generally  much  ornamented  with  beads,  &c. 
They  are  expert  hunters,  and  the  abundance  of  large  game 
supplies  them  with  more  animal  food  than  other  tribes  of 
Anjjola. 

They  are  a  hard,  wiry  I'ace,  capable  of  undergoing 


270  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

great  fatigue  and  hunger,  and  a  very  good  trait  in  their 
character  is  that  they  are  gooduatured  and  merry.  They 
are  not  a  bad  race,  but  are  Avild,  roving,  and  intract- 
able to  teaching  or  civilization.  Not  one  of  them  can  be 
induced  to  work  beyond  carrying  loads  or  a  hammock, 
which  latter  they  have  also  a  unique  way  of  doing. 
Supposing  eight  to  be  carrying  a  wliite  man  in  a  ham- 
mock, three  will  range  themselves  and  run  along  on  each 
side ;  at  a  loud  clap  of  their  hands,  one  Mundombe  from 
the  right  will  shove  his  shoulder  under  the  pole  behind 
the  carrier  in  front,  who  passes  to  the  left.  Another  on 
the  left  does  the  same  with  the  carrier  behind,  who  passes 
to  the  right,  and  so  they  go  changing  round  and  round 
every  few  yards,  and  running  along  all  the  time  without 
stopping  a  moment. 

It  took  me  several  months  before  I  could  induce  the 
]\Iundombes  at  Benguella  to  carry  the  copper  ore  from 
the  mine  at  Quileba  to  Benguella,  and  this  was  more  from 
distrust  of  not  being  paid  than  anything  else.  I  used  to 
give  them  a  load  of  ore,  and  a  small  ticket  which  was 
either  paid  in  copper  money  or  was  endorsed  by  the  agent 
at  Benguella,  and  was  then  passed  by  them  at  any  shop 
in  payment  of  the  cloth  or  rum  they  might  purchase. 

Next  to  the  Cabindas  I  think  the  Mundombes  are 
more  fond  of  rum  or  other  spirits  than  any  tribe  in  Angola, 
and  they  seem  capable  of  drinking  almost  any  quantity 
without  other  effect  than  making  them  extremely  jolly. 
They  will  never  stop  in  Benguella  at  night,  but  all 
clear  out  before  sunset  to  their  towns  and  villages  a  little 
way  off. 

Pieces  of  copper  are  sometimes  brought  to  Benguella 
by  the  caravans,  which  are  said  to  be  smelted  by  the 
natives  of  Lunda.  They  are  cast  in  a  very  peculiar 
form,  something  like  that  of  the  letter  X.  All  I  have 
seen  have  been  of  this  shape,  and  all  have  thick  inner 
edges  joined  by  a  ridge  (Plate  XIV.). 

1  have  never  been  able  to  ascertain  or  guess  what  the 
mould  could  possibly  be  that  invariably  gives  this  cha- 
racter to  them,  for  m  hatever  variation  there  may  be  in 


1.  Native-smelUd  Copper.— 2.  Powder-flapk. 
Fish  for  dryiu>r.  -  5.  Hunters'  Fetish 
hand  (native  jwg). — 7.   Gourd   Pipe 
Double-handled  Hoe. 


—3.  Mnndombe  Axe.— 4.  Manner  of  securing 
Benguella).— 6.  Manner  of  carrying  in   the 
for    s-mokiiig  Dianiba.— 8.   Wooden  Dish.— 9. 
To  face  jiage  270 


COPFEU.    HYENAS.  271 

the  length  of  the  arms  or  waist,  the  thicker  inner  edge, 
connected  with  a  more  or  less  prominent  ridge,  is  always 
there. 

The  first  hills  seen  from  the  sea  behind  the  town  of 
Benguella  are  composed  of  layers  of  fine  sandstone  of  ail 
thicknesses,  from  a  foot  or  two  to  an  eighth  of  an  inch, 
and  separated  by  layers  of  the  finest  dust,  so  that  slabs  of 
any  desired  thickness  can  be  obtained  without  difficulty; 
a  good  deal  of  massive  gypsum  or  sulphate  of  lime  is  also 
found  in  these  hills.  Immediately  behind  these  recent 
sedimentary  deposits  (in  which  I  never  found  the  least 
trRce  of  fossil  remains)  comes  the  gneiss  rock  of  the 
country. 

At  a  place  called  Quileba,  about  six  miles  due  inland 
from  Benguella,  I  explored  a  deposit  of  copper  ore  at  the 
junction  of  the  gneiss  with  the  sedimentary  beds.  This 
deposit  yielded  about  2000  tons  of  very  good  ore,  mostly 
earthy  green  carbonate  containing  some  sulphide,  and 
was  found  adhering  to  the  gneiss  in  an  irregnlar-shaped 
mass,  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  about 
three  or  four  fathoms.  Not  an  ounce  more  could  be  found 
either  deeper,  or  in  the  vicinity,  when  this  mass  was  ex- 
hausted. The  whole  of  the  ore  was  raised  and  sent  to 
Benguella  for  shipment  in  less  tlian  two  year.-^,  and  was 
all  carried  by  blacks,  men  and  women,  who  came  from 
Benguella  lor  that  purpose.  These  were  partly  Mun- 
dombes,  and  partly  slaves  of  the  inhabitants  of  Benguella. 
I  also  had  about  fifty  miserably  small  donkeys  from  the 
Cape  de  Verde  Islands,  but  they  were  more  troublesome 
than  useful. 

One  of  the  principal  plants  around  Benguella  is  the 
shrubby  jasmine,  and  it  grows  in  such  quantities  as  to 
present  a  very  pretty  appearance  when  in  flower,  the  clumps 
in  which  it  grows  being  covered  with  white  blossoms; 
and  in  the  still,  early  mornings  the  air  is  so  strongly 
loaded  with  the  scent  of  these  flowers  as  to  give  people  a 
headache  who  pass  through  the  bush  for  any  distance. 

Jackals  and  hyenas  are  very  abundant  at  Benguella, 
and    were   much    more    so    in    the    slave-trade    times, 


272  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

when  the  blacks  who  died  were  simply  taken  out  a  little 
distance  and  thrown  into  the  bush.  Graves  have  to  be 
dug  deep  and  covered  over  with  a  heap  of  heavy  stones 
to  prevent  the  hyenas  from  digging  out  the  corpses  and 
crunching  them  up.  A  great  fat  Cabinda  in  my  service 
at  Cuio  Bay  fell  down  dead  one  afternoon  whilst  ^ancing 
with  some  others  of  his  countrymen,  and  I  had  to  defer 
burying  him  till  notice  of  his  sudden  death  had  been 
given  to  the  "chefe"  at  Dorabe  Grande,  tliat  he  might 
send  to  ascertain  that  the  man  had  not  died  from  any 
foul  play.  This  took  some  days,  during  which  his  body 
smelt  anything  but  nice  to  us,  but  was  evidently  most 
appetizing  to  the  hyenas,  who  every  nigiit  flocked,  howled, 
and  laughed  round  the  hut  where  it  lav,  watched  over  by 
his  countrymen.  He  was  at  last  buried,  and  covered  over 
with  the  usual  heap  of  stones,  but  the  ground  was  dry 
and  soft,  and  the  smell  of  the  body  strong,  and  next 
morning  we  found  that  a  number  of  hyenas  must  have 
been  at  work,  and  had  actually  burrowed  into  tlie  grave 
from  the  edge  of  the  heap  of  stones,  had  pulled  the  body 
out,  and  eaten  it  on  the  spot!  Not  a  particle  of  bone 
even  could  be  seen,  and  besides  the  scratched  and  trodden 
ground,  a  few  shreds  and  scraps  of  rags  of  the  cloths  the 
Cabinda  had  been  wrapped  in,  were  all  the  evidence  of  the 
grand  supper  of  negro  flesh  the  hyenas  had  had. 

On  dark  nights  especially  the  hyenas  perambulate 
all  over  the  town  in  search  of  bones  and  offal  of  every 
description,  and  I  have  often  heard  them  fiofhting  and 
making  a  terrific  noise  in  the  open  squares  at  Ben^ella. 

Zebras  are  abundant  in  the  rocky  country  aboift  Ben- 
guella  and  Mossamedes,  and  their  bray  is  very  peculiar, 
being  like  that  of  the  donkey  without  the  long  drawn 
notes  made  during  inspiration. 

A  large  dog-faced  monkey  (Ci/nocephaliis  sp.)  is  very 
abundant  in  the  rocky  and  arid  littoral  zone  of  Benguella, 
going  about  in  troops  of  from  twelve  to  twenty.  When 
feeding,  they  always  have  two  or  more  of  their  number 
perched  on  the  high  rocks  as  sentinels,  and  on  the  least 
sign  of  danger  they  utter  a  hoarse  grunt  and  all  take  to 


MONKEYS.  273 


flight,  the  young  ones  tightly  clasping  their  mothers' 
backs.  It  is  said  by  the  natives  that  if  a  monkey  sentinel 
does  not  perform  his  duty  properly,  the  others  set  upon 
him  and  worry  him  well  as  a  punishment,  and  a  Portu- 
guese assured  rae  that  such  was  the  fact,  and  that  he  had 
witnessed  one  being  punished  in  this  manner. 

It  seems  at  first  sight  almost  incredible  how  these  lar^je 
creatures  can  find  sufficient  food  on  the  desert  rocks 
where  tliey  are  found,  but  I  ascertained  that  their  prin- 
cipal food  is  tlie  thick  fleshy  root  and  stem  of  a  low  bush, 
and  several  species  of  large  onion-looking  bulbs.  There 
are  also  a  number  of  trees  and  bushes  that  yield  them 
food  in  the  shape  of  berries  and  fruits,  especially  one 
called  "Umpequi"  (Ximenia  Americana),  bearing  plenti- 
fully an  astringent  plum-like  fruit,  from  the  large  kernel 
of  which  the  natives  of  Mossamedes  manufacture  a  fine 
oil. 

On  this  part  of  the  coast  the  natives  use  the  w^ood  of 
the  "Bimba"  tree  (Eerminiera  Elaphroxylon)  to  construct 
a  kind  of  boat  or  raft,  which  is  perfectly  unsinkable  in 
the  lieavy  surf  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers.  Tin's  tree  prin- 
cipally grows  in  the  stagnant  water  of  marshes,  and  is 
about  twenty  feet  high;  its  trunk  attains  to  as  much  as 
a  foot  in  diameter.  It  is  covered  with  spines,  and  bears 
very  large  and  beautiful  pea-Lke  flowers  of  a  golden  orange 
colour ;  the  wood  is  solt,  and  as  light  as  pith. 

The  peeled  stems  are  skewered  together  in  two  or  three 
layers,  with  sides  about  a  foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet  high, 
and  th^ends  finished  off  in  a  point,  the  whole  looking 
like  a  punt  built  of  thin  logs.  The  water,  of  course,  is 
free  to  rush  in  and  out  everywhere,  and  the  "  bimba,"  as 
the  boat  is  also  called,  floats  like  a  dry  cork  on  the  sea. 
People  in  it  may  get  washed  over  and  wetted  through  by 
the  surf,  but  the  "  bimba  "  never  upsets  or  sinks. 

About  twenty  or  twenty-four  miles  to  the  south  of 
Benguella  is  situated  the  district  of  Dombe  Grande. 
There  is  here  a  large  native  population  on  the  southern 
bank  of  the  river  San  Francisco  or  Capororo,  governed 
by  a  Portuguese  "  chefe."     The  road  to  it  from  Benguella 


274  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

passes  over  slightly  undulating  ground,  but  very  arid  in 
character,  alternately  sandy,  dusty,  and  of  gypsum  rock. 

About  half  way,  at  a  place  called  Quipnpa,  there  is  a 
small  spring  of  ferruginous  water,  which  is  the  halting- 
place  of  the  natives  who  frequent  the  road  to  and  IVom 
Uombe  Grande.  It  is  a  wonderful  relief  from  the  desert 
road  to  arrive  at  the  River  San  Francisco,  and  see  stretched 
for  mi!e.s  the  beautiful  green  expanse  of  Dornbe  Grande, 
The  river  is  perfectly  dry  for  one-half  of  the  year,  and  is 
then  a  broad  band  of  pure,  dazzling,  white  sand,  but  the 
land  near  it  is  extremely  fertile,  and  very  large  quantities 
of  mandioca  and  beans  are  grown.  The  mandioca  is 
made  into  *'farinha"  or  meal,  and  thousands  of  bushels 
are  sent  by  road  to  Benguelhi,  or  to  Cuio  Bay  for  ship- 
ment. The  sand  of  the  river  will  even  grow  splendid 
crops  of  tliis  root  as  soon  as  the  w^ater  dries  up. 

Towards  the  sea  the  valley  of  this  river  is  very  broad, 
and  it  is  here  that  the  extensive  cotton  plantations,  to 
which  I  have  already  referred,  exist.  This  part  of  the 
country  is  called  "  Luache,"  and  in  it  there  are  some  very 
curious  lagoons  and  quicksands.  One  of  these  lagoons  is 
extremely  deep.  A  Portuguese  told  me  he  had  tried  to 
sound  it,  but  had  failed  to  touch  the  bottom. 

At  another  place  the  road  for  some  considerable  dis- 
tance is  over  a  narrow  path  composed  of  the  roots  of  large 
sedge-like  plants  interwoven  and  grown  together,  and 
yielding  under  every  step.  The  Mundombes  take  their 
cattle  over  this  path,  but  should  one  walk  away  from  it 
at  the  side,  it  sinks  immediately  in  the  black  mi^  and  is 
seen  no  more. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  pure  sulphur  in  the  gypsum 
hills  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  at  Dombe  Grande, 
and  going  across  them  once,  I  came  to  a  small  eminence 
tluit  seemed  to  be  all  sulphur,  and  with  a  knife  and  a 
stick  and  a  few  wedges  that  I  cut,  I  managed  to  detach  a 
solid  block  of  sulphur  &f  about  thirty  pounds  in  weight. 

At  Luache  the  trees  and  bu.^he.s  ai-e  covered  with  a  vast 
quantity  of  a  curious  leafless  parasite.  This  is  a  creeper, 
which  grows  luxuriantly  in  great  masses  of  long,  thin, 


COPPER  DEPOSIT.     GYPSUM.  275 

green  strings  or  stems,  sometimes  completely  covering  the 
tree.  These  are  full  of  tasteless  mucilage  wlu-n  fresh, 
and  are  employed  in  decoction  as  an  emulf€'nt  in  conglis 
and  eolds.  When  dry  these  wire-like  stems  become  black 
and  hard,  and  give  the  trees  a  very  mournful  and  dismal 
appearance.  This  plant  is  a  s[)ecies  of  Ca-ssytha  (0.  Gui- 
neensis?)  and  although  exces^ively  abundant  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Benguellfj,  becomes  scarce  to  the  noith. 

About  nine  miles  south  of  IJonibe  Grande  is  the  little 
bay  of  Cuio,  in  13°  S.  lat.,  to  the  interior  of  which  I 
explored  a  copper  deposit  in  1861-1863.  This  deposit 
"was  situated  four  miles  from  the  bay  in  the  bottom  of  a 
small  circular  depression  or  valley  in  the  gneiss  rock  of 
the  country.  It  was  evident  that  the  copper  ore  had  been 
brought  from  a  distance  by  the  action  of  water,  and  pre- 
cipitated in  the  bottom  of  this  cup  or  basin. 

The  lower  part  consisted  of  a  bed  of  the  rare  indigo- 
blue  sulphide  intimately  mixed  together  with  quartz 
gravel  or  sand,  the  blue  sulphide  forming  the  matrix  of 
this  curious  conglomerate,  in  which  were  also  found  huge 
rounded,  smooth,  water-worn  masses  of  hard  compact 
gneiss.  This  bed  alone  yielded  nearly  1000  tons. 
Another  lODO  or  12ll0  tons  were  obtained  from  a 
higher  part  of  the  valley,  and  consisted  of  a  hard 
amorphous  mixture  of  sulphide  and  blue  and  green  car- 
bonate, the  latter  apparently  due  to  the  surface  decompo- 
sition of  the  former.  Some  small  masses  of  this  copper 
ore  contained  silver,  from  a  mere  trace  to  over  100  ounces 
in  the  ton.  In  one  place  I  found  a  few  tons  of  lead  ore, 
earthy  carbonate  and  sulphate,  with  only  a  trace  left  of 
the  galena  that  had  no  doubt  supplied  the  two  by  its 
decomposition.  Specimens  of  these  ores  were  exhibited 
in  the  London  International  Exhibition  of  1862,  and  were 
awarded  honourable  mention. 

I  was  the  first  in  Africa  to  make  plaster  of  Paris  from 
the  gypsum  rock  of  the  country,  and  to  apjdy  it  to  cover 
walls  of  houses,  for  flooring,  and  even  for  roofing.  I  had 
to  build  stores  at  Cuio  mines,  and  liouses  for  twenty-two 
white  miners,  and  as  there  was  no  grass  or  other  material 

T  2 


£70  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

fit  to  roof  them  with,  I  put  a  layer  of  plaster  of  Paris,  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  thick,  on  a  framework  of  palm-leaf 
stems,  and  it  withstood  the  rain  admirably.  It  is  magni- 
ficent material  for  flooring  in  that  country,  absorbing 
moisture  and  preventiug  the  white  ant  from  getting 
through.  The  Portuguese  soon  after  made  great  use  of 
this  material,  which  had  existed  in  inexhaustible  quantities 
unknown  to  them  for  so  many  years. 

The  road  from  Dombe  Grande  to  Cuio  passes  through 
some  deep  perpendicular  ravines  cut  in  solid  gypsnm  rock 
by  the  action  of  the  waters,  and  in  other  parts  of  Ben- 
guella  it  is  equally  abundant.  It  requires  no  kiln  for 
burning ;  it  is  sufficient  to  make  a  pile  of  small  piec^^s  of 
the  rock  with  any  kind  of  fuel  or  brushwood  at  liand,  to 
burn  it  into  proper  plaster  of  Paris;  in  fact,  if  burnt  in  a 
kiln  or  exposed  to  too  great  a  degree  of  heat  it  will  not 
set  afterwards  when  mixed  with  water. 

In  the  bare,  arid  country  of  Benguella  there  are  a 
number  of  birds,  the  colouring  of  whose  plumage  so  closely 
accords  with  that  of  the  ground  as  to  be  barely. distinguish- 
able at  a  little  distance.  Such  are  the  sand-grouse 
(Pterocles  namaquus)  and  three  species  of  bustards,  one  of 
which  (Otis  ^idurata,  Hartl.)  was  a  new  and  undescribed 
species. 

These  bustards  are  very  abundant,  and  are  found  in 
pairs ;  they  have  a  curious  loud,  hoarse,  clucking  cry, 
which  can  be  heard  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  are 
very  shy ;  they  run  along  the  ground  with  great  rapidity, 
and  when  alarmed  fly  off  in  a  straight  line,  but  very  little 
above  the  ground,  and  when  they  alight  they  always  run 
on  for  some  distance.  Their  flesh  is  excellent.  Several 
Portuguese  attempted  to  keep  them  in  their  gardens,  and 
rear  them,  but  without  success. 

In  the  woods  of  thorny  trees  and  bushes,  and  particu- 
larly in  the  sandy  ravines,  several  species  of  small  horn- 
bills  are  very  common.  Two  were  und<^scribed  species 
(Toccus  eleganSy  and  Toccus  Monteiri),  and  are  very  odd 
birds  in  appearance  and  habits.  I  found  that  their  food 
consisted  of  grubs,  grasshoppers,  and  other  insects,  hornets' 


EORNBILLS.    BIBDS.  277 

nests,  and  hard  seeds.  They  dig  in  the  sand  with  their 
long  curved  bills,  when  seeking  their  food,  throwing  the 
sand  behind  them  between  their  legs.  They  IooIj:  very 
comical  when  sitting  on  a  tree,  their  soft  feathers  puffed 
out  like  those  of  an  owl,  and  they  raise  and  depress  their 
crest  feathers,  uttering  loud,  long-drawn,  unearthly  cries, 
like  the  squall  of  a  sick  baby. 

They  are  considered  as  "  fetish  "  birds  by  the  natives, 
who  state  positively  that  it  is  the  male  bird  who  sits  on 
the  eggs,  and  that  the  female  shuts  him  up  in  the  nest  so 
that  he  cannot  get  out,  and  feeds  him  till  he  has  hatched 
the  eggs,  when  she  tears  down  the  nest  and  lets  him  out. 
The  imprisoned  bird  is  then  very  lean  and  in  ragged 
plumage,  and  the  natives  have  several  proverbs  bearing 
upon  this  singular  habit.  In  Bengnella,  Avhen  a  man 
looks  very  thin  and  miserable,  they  always  say,  *'he  looks 
like  the  hornbill  when  he  has  been  let  out  of  the  nest." 

I  offered  a  large  reward  to  any  black  who  would  find 
me  a  nest  of  these  birds,  as  I  wanted  to  verify  this 
extraordinary  story,  but  I  never  succeeded  in  seeing  one. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  statements  of  the  natives  are 
correct,  as  other  species  of  the  same  bird,  in  India,  &c., 
have  exactly  the  same  habit ;  the  only  particular  in  which 
I  think  the  natives  may  be  wrong  is  in  the  male  bird 
being  imprisoned  by  the  female ;  it  is  more  natural  to 
suppose  that  the  contrary  takes  place,  and  that  it  is  the 
female  who  is  boxed  up. 

The  "  Panda,"  or  wattled  crane  {Grus  cariinculata)  is 
common  in  the  country  to  the  interior  of  Benguella,  and 
is  often  brought  for  sale  to  the  coast  by  the  caravans. 
They  get  very  tame  and  playful,  and  it  is  amusing  to 
see  them  make  rushes  in  fun  at  the  women. and  children, 
with  their  wings  and  beaks  wide  open. 

A  trader  at  Egito  had  one  that  used  to  play  for  hours 
with  a  young  donkey.  The  crane  would  run  at  and  flap 
his  wings  in  the  donkey's  face  till  it  started  after  him  for 
a  race,  when  he  would  keep  just  a  little  ahead  and  only 
take  to  flight  when  hard  pressed,  on  seeing  which  the 
donkey  would  generally  give  a  loud  bray  of  disappoint- 


278  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

ment.  At  other  times  the  crane  would  chase  tlie  donkey, 
and  it  was  very  comical  to  see  the  perfect  understanding 
that  seemed  to  exist  b;^t\veen  them,  and  their  evident 
enjoyment  of  play  and  fun. 

The  ox-l)ird  {Buflmga  Africana)  is  very  commonly  seen 
on  the  cattle  at  Benguella,  and  the  following  description 
of  it  is  from  my  notes  on  a  collection  of  birds  I  made 
there  ('  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society '  for  1865) : — 
*•  Abundant  all  over  Angola,  which,  generally  speaking, 
abounds  in  cattle.  It  appears  to  feed  entirely  on  ticks : 
the  stomach  of  this  specimen  contained  no  less  than 
twenty-five.  Its  flesh  is  very  dark-coloured,  strong- 
smelling,  and  its  blood  extremely  thick  and  dark.  It  is 
curious  to  watch  the  manner  in  which  they  crawl  all 
over  the  body  of  an  ox  or  large  animal,  under  its  belly 
and  between  its  legs,  which  they  are  enabled  to  do  by 
their  strong  claws  tipped  with  exceedingly  sharp  hooked 
nails, 

'•  The  beak  is  soft,  of  a  bright  red  at  the  tip,  graduating 
to  bright  yellow  at  the  base.  I  once  saw  a  nest  of  these 
birds,  which  they  appeared  to  be  finishing.  It  was  large, 
loose,  of  dry  grass,  and  nicely  lined  with  long  hair,  seem- 
ingly taken  from  the  tails  of  cattle.  These  birds  were 
constantly  robbing  the  hair  from  the  tail  of  an  old  mule 
I  bad  at  Ijenguella.  They  will  accompany  a  herd  of  cattle 
only  for  a  certain  distance,  when  they  will  return  to  their 
usual  locality,  and  others  immediately  make  their  appear- 
ance and  appear  to  take  charge  of  the  herd." 

The  neighbouihood  of  Benguella,  Catumbella,  and 
Dombe  Grande  is  famous  for  the  variety  of  its  small  and 
beautifully-coloured  birds,  and  the  Mundombes  capture 
them  in  thousands,  to  sell  to  the  Portuguese  at  Benguella, 
who  export  them  to  Loanda  and  Lisbon.  These  birds  are 
said  to  be  more  hardy,  and  to  live  better  in  confinement 
than  those  caught  at  Loanda. 

Several  of  these  little  birds  are  greatly  esteemed  by  the 
Portuguese  as  cage  song-birds ;  such  are  the  *'  Maracachao  " 
{Pytelia  ehgans),  noted  for  its  exquisitely  sweet  song,  the 
"Bigode"  {Crithagra   ictera)  or  "moustache  bird,"  the 


FISIL  279 

"  Viiiva  "  or  long-tailed  whydah  finch  (  Vidua  paradisea), 
and  others. 

They  are  captured  with  birdlime,  the  very  sticky,  gummy 
matter  enveloping  the  seeds  of  tlie  beautiful  parasite — • 
a  s[)ecies  of  Luranthus — already  mentioned  as  biing  em- 
ployed by  the  natives  of  Cambambe  as  gum  fur  sealing 
letters.  This  plant  grows  very  abundantly  on  trees,  but 
must  usually  on  the  thinly-leaved  spiny  bushes  near  the 
coast,  and  even  on  herbaceous  plants.  I  have  olten 
observed  it  growinnr  bixuriantly  on  cotton  bushes. 

Many  kinds  of  ducks  and  other  beautiful  aquatic  birds 
inhabit  two  lagoons,  called  the  **  Bimbas,"  about  seven  or 
eight  miles  inland  from  Benguella.  From  Benguella  to 
Mossamedes  almost  all  the  numerous  bays  on  the  coast  are 
inhabited  by  Portuguese,  who  employ  their  slaves  either 
in  fishing  or  in  cotton  and  sugar-cane  planting.  The  prin- 
cipal plantations  are  at  Equimina  and  Carun Jamba.  For- 
merly all  were  engaged  in  orchilla-weed  picking,  as 
already  stated. 

There  is  no  trade  whatever  between  Benguella  and 
Mossamedes,  the  littoral  region  being  very  desert  in  cha- 
racter, and  but  little  populated,  and  the  small  quantity 
of  produce  from  the  interior  finding  its  way  to  either  ono 
or  the  other  of  those  places. 

The  fishery  on  that  part  of  the  coast  is  mostly  carried 
on  by  deep  lines,  and  the  fish  caught  are  opened  flat,  and 
salted  and  dried  in  the  sun.  Yery  large  quantities  are 
thus  prepared  and  shipped  to  Loanda  and  to  the  Portu- 
guese islands  of  St.  Thome  and  Principe.  A  great  pro- 
portion is  consumed  by  the  slaves  on  the  plantations. 

Great  numbers  of  a  dogfish,  called  "  Cassao,"  are  also 
caught.  The  livers  of  this  fish  are  thrown  into  large  iron 
pots  and  melted  into  a  strong-smelling  oil,  which  is  shipped 
to  Europe,  and  employed  to  adulterate  whale  and  other 
fish-oils.  It  takes  about  300  livers  to  make  a  quarter- 
cask  of  oil.  In  the  season  (for  these  fish  are  not  always 
on  the  coast)  a  boat  with  two  or  three  blacks  will  take 
from  60  or  70  to  300  fish  each  night,  the  latter  being 
considered  a  large  take. 


280  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVEB  CONGO. 

The  lines  and  nets  of  the  fishermen  are  prepared  or 
tanned  by  steeping  them  in  the  juice  of  an  exceedingly 
curious  plant  growing  in  the  sand.  This  plant,  specimens 
of  which  I  sent  to  Dr.  Hooker,  proved  to  be  a  new  species 
of  the  genus  Hydnora,  a  Kafflesiaceous  plant.  It  is  an 
underground  parasite  on  the  roots  of  the  euphorbia  trees 
and  bushes,  and  consists  of  a  square  stem  from  one  to  two 
inches  thick,  soft  in  texture,  and  of  a  beautiful  rose-colour. 
This  stem  is  covered  with  a  thin  dark  skin,  and  is  full  of 
tubercles ;  it  has  no  leaves,  and  is  attached  to  the  roots 
of  the  euphorbia,  from  which  it  derives  its  nourishment. 

At  certain  seasons  it  sends  up  a  thick  stalk  through  the 
sand,  on  the  end  of  which  it  bears  a  large  red  flower  of  a 
very  extraordinary  shape,  and  with  an  offensive  odour  of 
badly  decayed  meat.  There  are  only  three  other  species 
known ;  two  in  South  Africa,  and  one  in  Buenos  Ayres. 
Besides  its  use  for  tanning  lines  and  nets,  it  is  also  em- 
ployed by  the  natives  as  a  valuable  astringent  in  cases  of 
diarrhoea. 

During  the  latter  years  of  the  slave-trade,  these  various 
industries  were  turned  to  a  double  account.  When  a 
vessel  was  on  the  coast  seeking  a  cargo  of  slaves,  the 
planters,  &c.,  of  course  always  had  a  stock  ready.  At 
other  times,  any  objection  or  suspicion  was  met  by  the 
fact  that  the  large  number  of  slaves  on  the  coast  were 
employed  in  the  legitimate  pursuits  above  mentioned,  so 
that  no  slave  barracoons  existed,  and  all  were  as  indus- 
trious as  bees  when  a  cruiser,  or  some  local  Portuguese 
governor  or  "  chefe,"  fired  by  zeal,  or  by  disgust  at  the 
little  games  carried  on,  sometimes  without  his  usual  fee, 
appeared  on  the  scene. 

Lions  are  common  in  the  country,  more  especially  to 
the  south  of  Dombe  Grande,  about  Carunjamba  and  Lucira. 
I  spent  a  week  once  at  Carunjamba,  arriving  there 
shortly  after  a  number  of  lions  had  caused  the  proprietor 
of  a  fine  plantation  to  be  in  forced  confinement  for  days 
withiu  the  high  walls  enclosing  his  house  and  grounds, 
and  in  which  his  slaves  and  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep 
were  lodged  every  night  to  preserve  them  from  the  attacks 


LIONS,  281 


of  these  animals.  I  saw  the  ground  all  trodden  down  with 
their  footprints,  where  they  had  gone  round  and  round, 
attracted  by  the  scent  of  the  cattle  within. 

These  incursions  of  lions  are  periodical,  and  happen 
shortly  after  the  first  rains  have  covered  the  sterile  ground 
on  the  coast  witli  a  beautiful  crop  of  young  grass.  The 
antelopes  come  from  the  interior  to  feed  on  this  sweet 
grass,  and  the  lions  follow  their  steps  to  feed  on  them. 

Numbers  of  slaves  used  to  be  eaten  by  the  lions  in  the 
orcliiila-pieking  time.  I  knew  one  man  who  lost  twelve  in 
a  short  lime  at  the  Bay  of  Bomfim,  and  another  seventeen 
at  Lucira,  and  they  had  to  give  up  collecting  till  the  lions 
retired.  If  a  lion  once  tastes  negro  flesh,  he  prefers 
it  to  beef,  and  has  been  known  to  kill  the  black  herds- 
man and  not  touch  a  head  of  his  cattle. 

Tlie  Portuguese  in  Angola  are  not  valiant  at  lion- 
hunting.  Tlie  proprietor  of  the  large  sugar-cane  planta- 
tion at  Equimiua  used  to  recount  how  he  went  out  one 
night  to  shoot  a  lion  that  had  devoured  several  of  his 
slaves,  and  used  to  visit  the  cattle  enclosure  nightly.  He 
saw  the  lion  approach  him  as  he  knelt  on  one  knee  near 
the  high  stump  of  a  tree  against  which  he  leant  his  gun 
to  steady  his  aim,  and  waited  till  he  thought  it  was 
sufficiently  near,  when  he  fired  both  barrels  between  its 
eyes.  A  tremendous  roar  instantly  followed  his  shot, 
and  he  ran  for  his  life  and  bounded  over  the  high 
thorny  fence  forming  the  enclosure.  Nothing  more  being 
heard  of  the  lion,  he  went  with  his  blacks  in  search  with 
torches,  and  found  it  dead,  and  so  firmly  clasping  the 
stump  of  the  tree  with  its  paws  and  claws,  that  they  were 
with  difficulty  detached  from  it. 

He  used  to  say  that  the  thought  that  he  might  have 
been  in  the  lion's  dying  embrace  instead  of  the  stump, 
cured  him  of  going  out  lion-hunting ;  and  he  never  could 
make  out  how  he  had  managed  to  clear  the  high  fence 
at  one  jump,  as  he  did  on  that  night  when  terror  lent 
wings  to  his  feet. 


(    282    ) 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

COUNTRY  BETWEEN  BENGUELLA  AND  MOSSAMEDES  — 
MOSSAMEDES  —  CURIOUS  DEPOSITS  OF  WATER  —  HYENAS 
—  WELWITSCHIA  MIRABILIS  —  MIRAGE. 

The  country  between  Benguella  and  Mossamedes  abounds 
with  ]aro;e  animals:  elands,  spring-bok,  and  other  ante- 
lopes, zebras,  wild  buffaloes^  &c.  The  natives  affirm  posi- 
tively that  the  eland  and  other  antelopes  in  their  wild 
state  capture  and  eat  small  birds. 

It  would  be  curious  to  ascertain  if  this  strange  habit 
or  taste  in  a  herbivorous  animal  is  true,  or  has  been 
observed  in  South  Africa,  where  these  animals  are  still 
more  abundant. 

I  was  once  fortunate  enough  to  see,  from  a  low  rocky 
ridge,  a  vast  herd  of  spring-bok  running  at  full  speed 
across  a  plain  near  IVlossamedes,  and  it  was  really  a  fine 
sight.  This  very  beautiful  animal  has  a  quantity  of  long, 
snovv-white  hair  completely  hidden  in  a  fold  of  the  skin 
along  its  spine; — when  running,  its  pace  seems  to  be  a 
succession  of  high  leaps,  in  which  tliis  long  white  hair  is 
alternately  exposed  and  hidden  at  each  jump.  The  effect 
of  these  flashes  of  pure  white  in  the  sun  was  most  striking 
and  beautiful,  as  the  thousands  of  spring-bok  sped  rapidly 
across  the  plain  at  our  feet,  and  gradually  vanished  in  the 
distance.  Although  I  had  been  prepared  to  see  large 
herds  of  antelopes  at  Mossamedes,  from  the  accounts  of 
the  Portuguese  there,  and  from  what  I  had  read  in  books 
of  travel  in  Southern  Africa,  I  could  not  help  being  asto- 
nished at  the  sight,  and  feeling  how  impossible  it  was  to 
realize,  except  from  actual  observation,  the  appearance  of 
thousands  of  these  lovely  animals  assembled  together  and 
scudding  like  a  cloud  across  the  face  of  the  great  bare 
plain. 


BENGUELLA  TO  MOSSAMEDES,  283 

The  large  tree  euphorbias,  so  common  near  the  coast 
at  Ambriz  and  Loanda,  become  scarcer  in  the  country  to 
the  south  till  we  get  to  the  desert  hills  and  cliffs  about 
Elephant  Bay,  and  beyond  to  I\Iossamedes,  where  they 
completely  disappear. 

Perfectly  flat-topped  hills  are  a  striking  feature  of  this 
part  of  the  coast,  and  are  appropriately  termed  "  mezas  " 
or  "tables"  by  the  Portuguese.  The  coast,  more  par- 
ticularly from  the  River  San  Nicolau,  is  deeply  cut  by 
ravines  with  almost  perpendicular  sides,  and  leading  no 
great  distance  inland,  evidently  worn  by  the  action  of  the 
water  through  the  basalt  and  other  friable  rock.  It  malvcs 
travelling  on  foot  hard  work,  as  the  usual  road  is  near  the 
sea  and  some  of  the  walls  of  cliff  are  difficult  and  dangerous 
to  ascend  and  descend. 

In  one  of  my  excursions  in  this  part  of  the  coast,  I  saw 
the  dead  body  of  a  black  lyhig  at  the  foot  of  one  of  these 
precipices,  seemingly  fallen  from  the  top.  It  was  nearly 
devoured  by  birds,  crabs,  and  small  animals.  There  is 
another  road,  a  very  good  one,  a  few  miles  farther  inland. 

There  are  no  elepliants  to  be  met  with  now  on  the  coast 
at  any  part  of  Angola ;  the  last  were  said  to  have  been 
seen  about  Elephant  Bay,  from  which  it  may  probably 
have  derived  its  name.  They  do  come  down  occasionally 
on  the  Quissama  side  of  the  River  Quanza,  and  one  was 
lately  shot  at  Bruto,  most  likely  having  swum  the  river. 

On  Cape  Santa  Maria,  the  southern  point  of  the  "  Bahia 
dos  Passaros"  (Bay  of  Birds),  there  is  an  old  marble 
column,  placed  there  by  the  Portuguese  in  olden  times  to 
commemorate  the  discovery  of  this  cape,  in  1486,  by  the 
navigator  Diogo  Cam.  I  once  went  with  a  Portuguese 
in  a  boat  from  Cuio  to  Catara,  a  small  bay  beyond  Cape 
Santa  Maria.  Our  men  had  been  rowing  all  the  moonlight 
night  long,  and  at  daybreak  we  landed  at  the  Bahia  dos 
Passaros,  and  found  an  empty  hut  that  had  been  occupied 
by  a  curer  during  the  fishing  season ;  this  was  Taken  pos- 
session of  by. our  blacks,  who  went  fast  asleep  in  it, 
after  hauling  up  the  boat.  We  had  our  breakfast  under 
the  shade  of  the  boatsail,  and  then  followed  their  example. 


284  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

We  had  slept  about  a  couple  of  hours  when  I  was  a\Yak- 
ened  by  the  loud  cawing  of  the  pretty  white-banded  crows 
of  the  coast  (Corvus  scapulatus),  I  threw  a  stone  at  the 
noisy  birds,  and  happening  to  look  in  the  direction  of  the 
sea,  noticed  that  our  boat  was  gone ;  I  looked  into  the  hut 
thinking  our  men  had  gone  oif  with  it  in  search  of  birds' 
eggs,  but  they  lay  like  logs,  still  fast  asleep.  I  woke  my 
companion,  and  we  ran  to  the  beach  and  saw  our  boat  at 
the  noithern  end  of  the  bay  slowly  drii'ting  away,  the  tide 
having  risen  and  floated  it  while  we  slept.  Our  men 
run  along  the  beach  and  swam  off  to  the  boat,  and  we 
thanked  the  crows  with  the  remains  of  our  breakfast. 
It  is  astonishing  how  soon  a  number  of  these  birds  will 
appear  after  any  one  lands  in  these  desolate  bays,  to  pick 
up  any  food  that  may  be  left  about.  This  bay  derives  its 
name  from  the  number  of  sea-gulls  that  inhabit  a  high- 
peaked  rock  rising  out  of  the  sea  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  shore. 

The  fliver  San  Nicolau  only  runs  in  the  rainy  season, 
which  is  likewise  the  case  with  all  the  other  rivers  on  this 
part  of  the  coast,  south  of  the  River  Quanza,  and  even 
this  shifts  its  bar  a  mile  or  more  to  the  north  in  the  dry 
season. 

At  the  little  Bay  of  Baba,  I  saw  a  very  extraordinary 
sight,  and  one  that  shows  the  great  quantity  of  fish  in 
tiie  sea  of  that  coast.  I  had  started  on  foot  early  in  the 
morning,  from  the  house  of  a  Portuguese  who  was  en- 
gaged in  the  fishing  trade,  on  my  way  to  Mossamerles, 
and  as  I  walked  along  the  beach  for  more  than  a  mile,  I 
saw  for  the  whole  distance,  in  the  calm  water,  a  small 
species  of  fish,  about  a  foot  long,  in  countless  numbers, 
packed  side  by  side  so  closely  as  almost  to  touch  one 
another,  and  their  snouts  touching  the  sand.  Farther 
south,  fish  are  said  to  be  even  more  plentiful. 

At  Port  Pinda  a  three-masted  fishing  vessel  arrived 
with  a  crew  of  fishermen  from  Algarve,  and  they  caught 
such  quantities  that  they  found  the  work  of  curing  too 
hard,  and  they  gradually  gave  up  fishing  and  employed 
their  vessel  in  earning  freights  up  and  down  the  coast. 


MOSSAMEBES.  285 


I  was  told  by  the  captain  of  a  British  man-of-war  that 
at  Walwish  Bay  he  had  seen  eight  tons  of  fish  taken  at 
one  haul  of  the  seine  net. 

The  town  of  IMossamedes  (or  Little  Fish  Bay  of  the 
English  charts)  is  very  prettily  built  on  the  shore  of  the 
little  bay  from  which  it  derives  its  name.  The  houses  are 
of  stone,  well  built  and  commodious,  and  the  town  has 
quite  a  clean  and  imposing  appearance  as  seen  from  the 
sea.  The  bay  is  very  pretty,  and  protected  from  the 
"  calema "  or  surf.  A  fort  commands  it,  and  is  built  on 
a  low  cliff  immediately  south  of  the  town.  At  a  little 
distance  off  a  low  line  of  hills  hides  the  further  view  of 
the  interior,  and  all  around  nothing  but  an  arid  waste  of 
pure  white  sand  meets  the  eye  with  a  very  depressing 
effect.  Three  miles  to  the  noith  are  the  "hortas"  or 
"kitchen  gardens"  of  the  Portuguese,  where  the  fertile 
sandy  soil  grows  every  kind  of  root  and  vegetable.  The 
common  potato  grows  there  in  perfection  and  was  the 
principal  article  of  cultivation  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
American  whalers  used  to  call  there  from  the  fisliery  on 
the  coast.  The  English  cruisers  also  used  to  touch  there 
for  cattle  and  fresh  provisions.  Cattle  used  to  be  so 
abundant  that  the  ordinary  price  of  a  bullock  was  from 
ten  shillings  to  one  pound.  There  is  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  sugar-cane  grown  there  and  conveited  into  rum, 
several  thousand  pipes  being  the  yearly  production.  The 
little  River  Giraul  runs  through  these  pUmtations,  and  its 
overflow  sometimes  c  luses  considerable  damage. 

I  saw  excellent  gum-arabic  at  Mossamedes,  brought 
from  the  Gambos  country,  and  I  sent  a  large  tinfidl  of  it 
\o  London,  where  it  was  reported  upon  as  being  equal  to 
the  best  quality  in  the  market. 

At  Mossamedes  oxen  are  trained  for  riding ;  the  cartilage 
of  the  nose  is  perforated,  and  through  the  opening  a  thin, 
Bhort  piece  of  round  iron  is  passed,  at  tlie  ends  of  which 
are  attached  the  reins,  and  the  animal  is  guided  by  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  a  horse.  A  good  budock  will  trot 
well,  and  even  gallop  for  a  short  distance.  They  are  most 
useful  in  that  country,  and  are  very  comfortable  to  ride. 


286  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

The  saddle  is  made  of  leather,  and  is  oidy  a  well-padded 
cusliion  with  stirrups.  A  riding  ox  will  go  faster,  if  re- 
quired, than  blacks  on  foot  can  accomftany  it,  but  as  in 
travelling  a  caravan  of  blacks  with  provisions  and  b  ig^ajie 
is  always  necessary,  there  is  no  need  of  greater  speed. 
Tiiey  will  live  on  such  spare  dry  grass  as  can  be  obtained 
on  the  roaH,  and  are  much  safer  over  the  stony  and  sandy 
ground  than  horses,  and  not  so  liable  to  lamo  or  be 
knocked  up; — they  will  also  go  a  much  longer  time 
without  water. 

On  one  of  my  visits  to  Mossamedes  I  was  away  a 
fortnight  in  the  bush,  on  an  excursion  to  explore  several 
places  where  copper  ore  had  been  found,  and  re-ached 
about  forty  miles  into  the  interior,  to  near  the  first  range 
of  mountains  called  the  "Xellas"  (pronounced  Sheilas). 
Our  road  lay  north  till  w^e  had  crossed  the  dry,  sandy  bed 
of  the  Kiver  Giraul,  and  then  in  an  easterly  direction. 
The  Hrst  deposits  met  with  are  recent  clayey  beds,  gypsum- 
dust,  and  sandstones,  and  in  some  places  the  perpen- 
dicular faces  of  the  high  masses  are  covered  with  an 
abundant  efflorescence  of  almost  pure  sulphate  of  magnesia. 
This  had  attracted  the  attention  of  some  of  the  i^ortuguese, 
who  imagined  that  it  might  be  nitre.  One  man  sent  a 
cask  full  of  it  to  Lisbon  to  be  reported  upon,  and 
the  answer  he  received  was,  *' that  it  was  not  nitre  as  it 
would  not  make  gunpowder,  and  that  they  could  not  tell 
wh;it  else  it  was  !  " 

'Jdiis  formation  is  succeeded  by  massive  basalt,  contain- 
ing in  places  small  quantities  of  double  refracting  calcspar 
and  heulandite. 

This  narrow  belt  or  strip  of  basalt  is  followed  farther 
inland  by  a  highly  quartzose  schistose  rock  with  much 
iron  and  horneblende.  This  insensibly  changes  to  a 
quartzose  granite,  then  to  more  schist,  and  in  some  places 
to  a  fine-grained  porphyry.  In  these  are  found  quartz 
veins  with  small  strings  or  lodes  of  very  rich  sulphide  of 
copper.  These  were  the  only  copper  lodes  m  situ  that  I 
have  been  able  to  find  in  Angola,  but  unfortunately, 
although  coutaining  the  very  richest  copper  ore,  they  are 


CURIOUS  DEPOSITS  OF  WATEB,  287 

so  poor  in  size,  and  under  such  disadvantages  otherwise, 
that  they  would  be  quite  proiitless  to  work  or  explore. 

About  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from  Mossamedes  the 
granite  country  is  very  peculiar.  In  some  places  Imge 
single  rocks  rise  out  of  the  nearly  level  plain ;  in  others, 
hills  of  rocks,  in  several  of  which  deposits  of  rain-water 
are  found  at  the  very  top.  One  of  these  was  a  natural 
tank  with  a  narrow  entrance,  and  so  dark  that  we  had  to 
light  an  old  newspaper  to  see  it.  It  contained,  I  should 
say,  not  less  than  three  or  four  hundred  gallons  of  water, 
which  was  exquisitely  clear  and  cool.  It  was  covered  by- 
vast  slabs  of  granite,  ftom  which  the  rain  drained  into 
it,  so  that  the  sun  was  unable  to  evaporate  it  during  the 
hot  season,  when  not  a  drop  of  water  is  to  be  found  for 
miles  anywhere  else. 

A  still  more  singular  phenomenon  is  that  of  the  "  Pedra 
Grande,"  or  ''big  stone,"  on  the  road  to  the  interior  at 
over  thirty  miles  from  Mossamedes.  This,  as  its  name 
implies,  is  .a  huge  rounded  mass  of  granite  rising  out  of 
the  granitic,  sandy  plain. 

On  the  smooth  side  of  this  rock,  about  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  above  the  plain,  is  a  circular  pit  about  nine  or  ten 
feet  deep  and  five  or  six  wide.  The  .rainfall  on  that  part 
of  the  rock  that  lies  above  this  pit,  drains  into  it,  and  is 
said  to  fill  it  completely  every  rainy  season.  The  form  of 
the  pit  is  like  that  of  the  inside  of  a  crucible,  narrowing 
gently  to  the  bottom.  The  walls  are  perfectly  smooth 
and  regular,  and  it  can  contain  several  thousand  gallons 
of  water.  The  mass  of  granite  rock  is  of  the  closest  and 
hardest  description,  and  no  explanation  seems  possible  of 
the  formation  of  this  pit,  except  that  of  a  bubble  in  the 
rock  when  primarily  formed,  or  that  there  was  a  mass  of 
easily  soluble  or  decomposible  mineral  contained  in  it 
that  has  since  been  dissolved  out.  I  must  say,  however, 
that  there  is  no  evidence  anywhere  visible  to  corroborate 
this  latter  theory.  There  are,  it  is  true,  one  or  two  other 
small  and  similar  pits  near  the  great  one,  but  this  does 
not  throw  any  more  light  upon  their  probable  formation. 
This  grand  deposit  supplies  the  Mundombes  and  travellers 


288  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 


with  an  abundant  supply  of  water  during  the  dry  season, 
and  is  tlierefore  a  prnicipal  halting-place. 

Tliis  is  a  lioa  country,  but  on  both  occasions  that  I  was 
at  Mossamedes  it  was  not  the  season  in  which  they 
abounded,  so  that  I  saw  but  little  signs  of  them. 

They  come  regularly  to  the  "hortas"  near  the  town, 
and  several  have  been  shot  there  by  the  Portuguese.  I 
was  shown  the  hut  of  a  German  emigrant  where  a  lion 
came  ihrough  the  grass  roof  on  to  the  table  at  which  he 
was  seated  at  supper  with  his  wife. 

It  appeared  that  the  lion  had  chased  a  cat  on  to  the 
roof  from  an  outhouse,  and  the  roof  being  of  a  frail  natuie, 
had  given  way  under  his  weight,  but  luckily  the  cries  of 
the  man  and  his  wife  so  frightened  the  astonished  beast, 
that  he  forced  himself  through  the  slender  walls  of  the 
hut  and  ran  away. 

On  an  excursion  to  visit  a  copper  locality  inland  of 
Baba  Bay,  where  a  Portuguese  convict  alleged  he  had 
discovered  and  extracted  a  basket  full  of  good  specimens 
of  ore,  I  put  up  one  night  at  a  hut  belonging  to  a 
Portufruese  engaged  with  a  number  of  slaves  in  collecting 
orchilla-weed.  At  a  distance  of  about  two  or  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  hut  was  a  pool  of  brackish  water, 
in  a  grove  of  trees  at  the  foot  of  a  rocky  hill.  During 
the  night,  which  was  pitch  dark,  the  blacks  declared  that 
a  lion  had  captured  some  animal  at  the  pool,  and  was 
eating  it.  At  daybreak  we  turned  out  and  came  on  about 
a  dozen  black  and  white  dog-like  animals,  about  the  size 
of  a  Newfoundland  dog,  that  ran  quickly  up  the  hill  on 
our  approach.  Close  to  the  pool  we  found  the  remains  of 
an  eland  that  had  been  killed  by  the  lion.  The  other 
animals,  which  are  said  to  follow  it,  and  wait  till  the  royal 
beast  has  had  its  fill  of  the  game  it  has  killed,  and  devour 
the  remainder,  had  not  had  time  to  finish  it,  and  there  was 
enough  left  to  afford  us  a  good  breakfast  of  venison  steak, 
and  our  blacks  a  feast  of  fresh  meat. 

Thick  eland  steak  is  delicious,  both  from  its  juiciness 
and  flavour,  and  its  exquisite  tenderness. 

My  excursion  was  unsuccessful  in  discovering  a  copper 


HYENAS,  289 


mine,  as  I  found  that  the  rogue  of  a  convict,  -who  had 
been  promised  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  mine  by  a 
friend  of  mine  at  ]\rossamedes,  Senhor  Accacio  d'Oliveira, 
had  buriel  a  basketful  of  copper  ore  taken  from  some 
other  locality,  in  a  hole,  where  he  pretended  to  iind  it 
when  my  friend  sent  his  own  blacks  with  him  to  bring 
away  larger  samples. 

Hyenas  are  very  common,  and  I  saw  at  Mossamedes  a 
magnificent  wolfhound  (from  the  Serra  da  Estrella,  in  tl.ie 
north  of  Portugal)  and  his  dam,  who  always  used  to  run 
out  together  at  night  and  chase  away  any  hyena  that 
came  near  their  master's  house.  One  night,  however, 
they  did  not  return,  so  their  owner  turned  out  to  seek  for 
tliem  as  soon  as  it  was  daylight,  and  found  them  at  some 
little  distance  lying  down  bleeding  and  exhausted,  and 
between  them  the  dead  body  of  a  huge  hyena  whicli  they 
had  fought  with  and  killed.  Some  idea  may  be  formed 
of  the  size  of  the  hyena,  and  of  the  ferocious  nature  of 
the  fi«>ht,  when  I  state  that  the  dogs  .  were  young,  as 
powerful  and  as  large  as  any  I  have  ever  seen,  and  that 
they  were  protected  by  thick  collars  studded  with  strong 
iron  spikes.  These  beautiful  animals  recovered  from  their 
wounds,  but  they  never  ran  out  after  hyenas  again. 

The  country  about  Mossamedes  is  exposed  to  periodical 
irruptions  of  the  Monanos,  or  natives  from  the  Nano 
country,  which  is  inland,  and  nortii  of  Mossamedes.  They 
come  down  in  large  expeditions,  laying  waste  the  country 
by  driving  off  the  cattle  and  sheep  belonging  to  the  Mun- 
dombes.  One  of  these  marauding  columns  came  down  to 
the  very  town  of  Mossamedes,  but  they  agreed  to  retire  on 
the  payment  of  a  certain  amount  of  cloth  and  other  goods 
by  the  Portuguese,  and  amongst  other  articles  that  they 
stipulated  for  were  a  number  of  dogs,  which  they  wanted 
for  food.  This  condition  was  easily  complied  with,  as 
Mossamedes  always  contains  a  number  of  maimed  and 
horribly  mangy  mongrels,  who  try  to  pick  up  a  living 
from  the  remains  of  fish  and  other  offal  on  the  beach. 

The  few  native  inhabitants  about  Mossamedes  are 
Mundombes,  like  those  of  Benguella,  but  between  the 

u 


290  ANGOLA  AND  THE  PdVER  CONGO, 

two  places  there  is  a  district  peopled  by  a  curious  tribe 
callea  the  Mucoandos.  This  district  lies  to  the  interior, 
and  between  Point  Santa  Maria  and  the  River  San  Kicohiu. 
These  Mucoandos  are  a  roving,  migratory  tribe,  rearing 
flocks  of  sheep,  which  are  their  only  wealth ;  it  is  said 
that  they  hardly  ever  cultivate  the  ground,  and  only  build 
temporaiy  huts  or  shelters.  They  go  about  nearly  naked, 
only  wearing  a  small  piece  of  sheepskin  round  their  loins, 
and  are  a  quiet  and  inoflensive  tribe.  They  are  said  to  be 
gradually  dying  out. 

A  still  more  curious  tribe  are  the  Muquices,  of  whom 
only  a  few  now  remain.  They  are  found  near  the  sea, 
between  Mossamedes  and  Carumjamba.  They  do  not  keep 
sheep  or  cattle,  or  any  live  stock  whatever,  and  never  cul- 
tivate the  ground  or  build  huts  to  live  in.  Their  food  is 
principally  fish,  which  they  catch  with  hook  and  line,  and 
'sliell-tish,  particularly  mussels,  which  are  very  abundant 
and  fine  on  the  rocks,  and  oysters.  They  cook  their  food 
by  roasting  it  at  a  fire,  and  at  night  they  each  make  a 
small  half  circle  of  stones  about  a  foot  high,  against  which 
they  curl  up  like  dogs  as  a  shelter  irom  the  wind,  very 
otten  on  the  bare  tops  of  the  cliffs  overhanging  the  sea. 
They  also  take  advantage  of  the  ledges  of  rock  and  open 
caves  or  holes  to  sleep  in,  but  they  are  always  on  the  move, 
never  remaining  more  than  a  few  days  at  each  place.  I 
o'tpn  saw  these  encampments,  with  the  usual  accom- 
paniments of  heaps  of  mussel-shells  and  ashes,  the  remains 
of  their  food  and  fires,  on  the  cliffs. 

I  once  saw  a  party  of  eight  of  these  IMuquices  at  Point 
Giraul,  the  northern  end  of  Mossamedes  Bay,  where  I  had 
gone  with  some  friends  for  a  day's  picnic  of  fish,  oysters, 
and  mussels  off  the  rocks.  This  was  the  largest  number 
I  had  seen  together.  They  were  living  in  a  large  hole  in 
the  soft  rock,  and  were  very  pleased  to  have  a  talk,  and 
get  a  drink  and  a  few  small  presents. 

They  are  rather  light -coloured,  with  very  decided 
obliquely-set  eyes,  which  gives  them  a  singular  Chinese 
expression  of  face.  They  are  slow  and  gentle  in  their 
manner  and  are  said  to  be  what  tbeir  appearance  indi- 


WELWITSCIIIA  MIRABILIS.  291 

cates,  very  quiet  and  inoffensive.  The  Portuguese  often 
employ  them  as  letter-carriers  up  and  down  that  part  of 
the'  coast. 

Their  constantly  roving  habits  do  not  allow  them  to 
I'.ave  old  or  infirm  people; — when  these  cannot  walk  and 
keep  up  with  the  rest,  they  are  killed  by  being  knocked 
on  the  bead  from  behind  with  a  stick.  The  eldest  son,  or 
nearest  male  relative,  does  the  deed,  and  the  victim  is  not 
apprised  beforehand  of  his  fate. 

About  Mossamedes  that  most  singnlar  plant  the  Wel- 
witscliia  mirdbilis  is  found  growing,  and  the  country  about 
the  l\iver  San  Nicolan,  or  14°  8.  lat.,  seems  to  be  its 
northern  limit.  It  has  been  found  south,  in  Damara  Land. 
I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  collect  specimens  of 
the  plant,  flowers,  and  cones  for  Dr.  Hooker,  which  sup- 
plied some  of  the  materials  for  his  splendid  monograph 
on  this  wonderful  plant.  These  specimens  are  now  pre- 
served in  the  Kew  Museum. 

Tlie  following  account  of  it  is  an  extract  from  Dr. 
Hooker's  work :  —  "  The  '  Welwitschia '  is  a  woody  plant, 
said  to  attain  a  century  in  duration,  with  an  obconic 
trunk,  about  two  feet  long,  of  which  a  few  inches  rise  above 
the  soil,  presenting  the  appearance  of  a  flat,  two-loberl, 
depressed  mass,  sometimes  (according  to  Dr.  Welwitsch) 
attaining  fourteen  feet  in  circumference  (!),  and  looking 
like  a  round  table.  When  full  grown,  it  is  dark-brown, 
hard,  and  cracked  over  the  whole  surface  (much  like  the 
burnt  crust  of  a  loaf  of  bread) ;  the  lower  portion  forms  a 
stout  tap-root,  buried  in  the  soil,  and  branching  downwards 
at  the  end.  From  deep  grooves  in  the  circumference  of 
the  depressed  mass  two  enormous  leaves  are  given  off, 
each  six  feet  long  when  full  grown,  one  corresponding  to 
each  lobe:  these  are  quite  flat,  linear,  very  leathery,  and 
split  to  the  base  into  innumerable  thongs  that  lie  curling 
upon  the  surface  of  the  soil.  Its  discoverer  describes  tin  se 
same  two  leaves  as  being  present  from  the  earliest  condi- 
tion of  the  plant,  and  assures  me  that  they  are  in  I'act 
developed  from  the  two  cotyledons  of  the  seed,  and  are 
persistent,  being  replaced  by  no  others.     From  the  cir- 

u  2 


292  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  RIVER  CONGO. 

cumference  of  the  tabular  mass,  above  but  close  to  the 
insertion  of  the  leaves,  spring  stout  dichotomously  branched 
cymes,  nearly  a  foot  high,  bearing  small  erect  scarlet 
cones,  which  eventually  become  oblong  and  attain  the  size 
of  those  of  the  common  spruce-fir.  The  scales  of  the  cones 
are  very  closely  imbricated,  and  contain  when  young  and 
still  very  small,  solitary  flowers,  which  iu  some  cones  are 
hermaphrodite  (s^tructnrally  but  not  functionally),  in  others 
female.  The  hermaphrodite  flower  consists  of  a  perianth 
of  four  pieces,  six  monadelphous  stamens  with  globose 
three-locular  anthers,  surrounding  a  central  ovule,  the 
integument  of  which  is  produced  into  a  styliform  sigmoid 
tube,  terminated  by  a  discoid  apex.  The  female  flower 
consists  of  a  solitary  erect  ovule  contained  in  a  compressed 
utricular  perianth.  The  mature  cone  is  tetragonous,  and 
contains  a  broadly-winged  fruit  in  eacb  scale." 

I  first  saw  the  plant  in  my  first  journey  inland  from 
Mossamedes.  On  a  second  visit  to  Mossamedes  I  went 
one  day  specially  to  obtain  the  large  specimens  now  at 
Kew,  which,  were  growing  about  six  miles  south  of  the 
town  on  the  sandy  plain  near  the  sea. 

I  found  a  considerable  number  of  the  plants  growing, 
and  having  secured  my  specimens,  placed  fresh  cones  in 
spirit,  and  transplanted  a  couple  of  the  small  plants  into  a 
box  of  earth,  I  prepared  to  return.  I  had  ridden  an  old 
mule,  and  taken  with  me  a  number  of  blacks  with  poles 
to  carry  the  specimens.  I  tied  the  old  mule  to  a  pole  and 
left  her  to  graze  about  on  the  scanty  tufts  of  grass  whilst 
I  dug  out  the  plants.  The  little  refreshment  she  had 
picked  up  made  her  quite  skittish,  and  all  our  efibrts  to 
catch  her  were  unavailing.  For  more  than  an  hour  did 
she  manage  to  elude  us  over  the  burning  white  sand,  and 
I  was  fairly  tired  out  when  she  was  at  last  caught. 

1  several  times  witnessed  the  *•  mirage"  at  Mossamedes. 
At  a  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards  before  me  I  seemed 
to  see  the  surface  of  the  ground  covered  with  about  two 
feet  of  water,  and  only  the  tops  of  the  grass  and  bushes 
could  be  seen  out  of  it.  The  illusion  is  absolutely  perfect ; 
the  little  waves  and  ripples  of  the  water,  and  the  reflection 


MIRAGE,  293 


of  the  sun  from  the  surface,  are  all  there,  and  only  seeing 
the  tops  of  the  grass  still  further  increases  the  reality  of 
the  impression,  which  continues  sometimes  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

I  found  most  agreeable  society  at  Mossamedes,  many  of 
the  Portuguese  there  having  their  wives  and  families  with 
them,  which  was  not  the  case  at  Benguella  or  elsewhere 
in  Angola. 

The  climate  at  Mossamedes  is  remarkably  healthy,  and 
for  many  years  fevers  were  quite  unknown  there.  I  saw 
the  white  children  looking  as  healthy  and  rosy  and  strong 
as  in  Europe,  and  the  white  men  working  in  the  planta- 
tions as  in  Portugal.  Subsequently  fever  made  its  appear- 
ance there,  and  once  of  a  rather  severe  type,  which  I 
cannot  help  thinking  originated  from  the  total  want  of 
sanitary  arrangements  for  the  greatly  increased  population. 

The  Portuguese  in  Angola  are  everywhere  remarkably 
neglectful  and  careless  of  these  matters,  so  necessary  for 
the  preservation  of  health,  especially  in  a  hot  climate. 


(    204    ) 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CLIMATE  —  COOKERY  —  DRUNKENNESS  —  FEVER  —  NATIVE 
TREATMENT  —  ULCERS— SMOKING  WILD  HEMP  —  NATIVE 
REMEDIES. 

The  climate  of  Angola  is  not  so  hot  as  might  bs  expected 
from  its  latitude.  Near  the  coast  the  sea-breeze,  which 
sets  in  about  nine  or  ten  o'clock  in  the  mornine,  and  lasts 
till  sunset  or  an  hour  later,  always  blows  strongly,  and 
consequently  cools  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  in, the  hot 
season  :  it  is  very  often  too  strong  to  be  agreeable,  blowing 
everything  about  in  the  houses,  which  always  have  the 
doors  and  windows  open.  The  thermometer  in  the  hot 
season  is  -seldom  more  than  80^  to  8G°  Fahrenheit  in  the 
shade  during  the  day ;  90"^  and  over  is  not  often  attained. 
In  the  **  cacimbo,"  or  cool  season,  the  usual  temperature 
is  70°  to  75°  Fahrenheit,  and  at  night  as  low^  as  60^  to  (35°., 
The  nights  are  always  cool,  and  for  not  less  than  six 
months  in  the  year  a  blanket  on  the  bed  at  night  is  found 
comfortable. 

Towards  the  interior,  away  from  the  influence  of  the 
sea-breeze,  the  temperature  is  rather  higher,  but  soon  the 
greater  elevation  of  the  country  Towers  it,  so  that  the 
thermometer  ranges  about  the  same. 

Rain  only  falls  in  the  hot  season,  or  from  the  end  of 
October  to  the  beginning  or  middle  of  May,  when  violent 
storms  with  but  little  wind  deluge  the  country.  There  is 
generally  a  cessation  of  the  rains  during  the  month  of 
January  and  part  of  February;  the  List  rains  are  the 
heaviest,  and  seldom  occur  after  the  12t]i  or  15th  of 
May.  During  the  cool  or  "cacimbo"  season,  the  sun  is 
often  not  visible  for  days  together,  a  thick  uniform  wdiite 


CLIMATE.  295 


sky  preventing  its  position  being  seen  at  any  time  of 
the  day.  A  thick  white  mist  covers  the  ground  at  night, 
and  in  the  mornings  valleys  and  low  places  are  completely 
enshrouded  in  it. 

As  the  wind  and  sun  dissipate  these  rolling  vapours, 
very  beautiful  effects  are  seen,  particularly  among  the 
valleys  and  mountains  in  the  interior.  When  looking 
down  into  a  deep  valley,  the  mist  is  exactly  like  a  cloud 
of  steam  from  a  locomotive.  The  "cacimbo"  is  the 
best  season  for  Europeans  newly  arrived  on  the  coast, 
but  is  always  disagreeably  felt  by  those  who  have  lived  in 
the  country  for  some  years,  the  sudden  fall  of  the  ther- 
mometer checking  the  action  of  the  skin.  It  has  a  very 
depressing  effect  on  old  stagers,  who  are  then  more  than 
usually  disinclined  for  any  kind  of  work,  bodily  or  mental. 
To  new  comers,  apt  to  be  distressed  by  heat,  the  cool 
season  is  delicious,  as  it  enables  them  to  go  about  freely, 
carry  a  gun,  -work,  &c.,  without  protection  from  the  sun. 

The  climate  of  the  coast  of  Africa  is  everywhere  more 
or  less  enervating,  and  it  requires  the  exercise  of  a  strong 
will  and  determination  to  overcome  its  influence,  and 
resist  the  natural  tendency  to  produce  inactivity  of  mind 
and  body.  This  being  the  case  when  in  perfect  health,  it 
can  easily  be  imagined  how  much  more  this  is  required 
when  a  touch  of  fever,  however  slight,  still  further  enleebles 
the  system. 

I  am  not  competent  to  speak  medically  on  the  subject 
of  the  action  of  the  African  climate  and  fevers  on  Euro- 
peans, which.  I  believe  to  be  very  difficult  and  obscure, 
but  a  few  detached  facts  and  observations  I  have  noted 
may  be  interesting.  I  fancy  there  must  be  something  in 
the  action  of  an  atmosphere  so  completely  saturated  with 
moisture^  to  account  for  the  sensation  of  exhaustion  and 
prostration  that  is  felt  in  Africa  at  any  bodily  exertion, 
generally  accompanied  by  a  clammy  perspiration.  I  have 
ielt  this  more  especially  in  the  cool  or  rainless  but  misty 
season,  when  the  air  is,  I  believe,  even  more  saturated  with 
moisture  than  in  the  rainy  season,  with  its  almost  daily 
storms,  but  bright  atmosphere,  blue  sky,  and  hot  sun. 


296  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO, 

Keys  or  penknives  in  use,  and  kept  constantly  in  the 
pocket,  get  rusty  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  and  steel- 
springs  of  every  kind  become  brittl©  and  break  very 
readily ;  I  never  saw  a  sbot-pouch  or  powder-flask  of  which 
the  spring  did  not  very  shortly  snap  in  two,  sometimes 
even  before  it  had  become  rusty,  and  when  only  a  thin 
line  or  streak  of  rust  could  be  seen  on  it. 

For  the  first  few  months  after  arrival,  Europeans  have 
enormous  appetites,  and  all  increase  in  weight ; — it  is  very 
rarely  that  fever  attacks  those  first  arriving  on  the  South- 
AVest  Coast. 

Persons  of  a  nervous  temperament,  of  a  thin,  active, 
muscular  habit  of  body,  and  not  above  medium  height, 
I  have  found  to  be  the  most  likely  to  resist  the  climate. 

Previous  good  health  and  sobriety  are  no  guarantees 
against  the  probable  effects  of  the  climate,  and  I  believe 
that  the  best  and  surest  indication  is  to  be  obtained  not 
from  the  physical,  but  from  the  mental  constitution  of 
the  individual.  Those  of  a  light-hearted  and  happy  dis- 
position, naturally  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  circimi- 
stances,  and  whom  no  inconveniences  or  annoyances  can  rob 
for  long  of  their  good  humour,  are  almost  certain  to  enjoy 
their  health  on  the  South-West  Coast,  whilst  those  diffi- 
cult to  please,  who  worry  themselves  about  every  little 
unpleasantness,  and  who  are  irritable  and  unhappy  under 
difficulties,  are  soon  attacked  by  fever  and  ague,  although 
apj  arently  just  as  strong  and  healthy  as  the  former. 

I  have  always  observed  that  an  educated  man  has  a 
great  advantage  over  one  who  is  without  education,  in 
resisting  disease  on  the  coast;  this  shows  very  strongly 
the  preservative  action  of  the  healthy  and  active  mind. 

Amongst  uneducated  men,  1  have  found  that  Portu- 
guese, Spaniards,  and  Italians  enjoy  better  health  than 
Englishmen  or  Germans,  and  have  vastly  more  endurance 
and .  pluck  in  sickness  than  the  latter.  A  Portuguese 
working  man,  soldier,  or  convict,  will  roll  himself  up  and 
shiver  and  groan  under  a  strong  attack  of  fever  or  ague, 
and  as  soon  as  it  is  over  will  quickly  go  about  his  occu- 
pation without  making  any  fuss  or  complaint,  whereas  the 


COOKERY.  297 


English  miners,  strong  and  powerful  as  navvies  when  well, 
were,  as  I  have  said  before,  pitiable  sights  under  even  a 
slight  attack. 

The  reason  for  the  greater  immunity  enjoyed  by  the 
natives  of  southern  over  those  of  northern  Europe  from 
attacks  of  fever  and  ague,  may  be  due  not  only  to  the  fact 
of  that  race  inhabiting  a  hot  climate,  but  also  to  their 
mode  of  living  and  greater  sobriety. 

Their  cookery  is  inHnitely  better  adapted  to  a  climate 
like  that  of  Africa  than  ours  ;  their  soups,  stews,  and  made 
dishes  more  or  less  higlily  seasoned,  or  condimented,  give 
less  trouble  to  the  stomach  naturally  debilitated  by  the 
action  of  the  climate,  and  present  tlie  food  in  a  better 
condition  for  easy  'digestion,  than  the  solid  ill-cooked 
masses  of  roast  or  boiled  meat  preferred  by  the  English ; 
always  freshly  killed,  and  rarely  of  good  quality  or  in 
proper  condition,  from  tlio  impossibility  of  hanging  it  long 
enough  to  allow  it  to  get  tender  without  being  tainted. 
The  natives  of  south  Europe  also  make  great  use  of  two 
vegetable  products,  which  I  consider  to  be  of  great  benefit 
in  preserving  health — the  common  tomato  and  garlic.  The 
former,  apart  from  what  I  believe  to  be  its  valuable  medi- 
cinal properties,  gives  a  delicious  zest  to  every  kind  of 
cooked  food  from  its  slightly  acid  taste,  often  transforming 
an  uninviting  dish  of  cold  meat,  fowl,  or  fish,  into  a 
savoury  mess,  the  very  smell  of  which  is  sufficient  to 
make  one's  mouth  water,  and  raise  the  enfeebled  appetite. 

A  common  and  very  delicious  dish  on  the  coast  is  called 
"  muqueca,"  and  is  thus  prepared  :  the  bottom  of  a  frying- 
pan  is  covered  with  sliced  tomatoes,  on  these  a  layer  of 
small  fish  is  put,  or  pieces  of  larger  fish,  and  some  salt ;  a 
little  salad-oil  is  poured  over  the  whole,  and  lastly  the  fish 
is  covered  with  thin  slices  of  bread.  No  water  is  added, 
the  tomatoes  and  fish  supplying  quite  enough  liquid  to 
cook  the  whole,  which  is  allowed  to  stew  slowly  till  done. 
It  should  be  made  hot  to  taste  with  green  Chiiies,  cut  up 
and  added  with  the  salt.  C(d  1  fried-fish  is  equally  good 
for  making  a  "  muqueca,"  which  is  always  served  at  table 
in  the  frying-pan,  or,  better  still,  flat  earthen  pan  in  which 


298  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

it  lias  been  cooked.  A  plate  or  close  cover  over  the  pan 
whilst  cookinj]:  the  ^'mnqneca"  is  desirable,  as  it  keeps  in 
tlie  moisture  better,  and  the  bread  becomes  nice  and  s-o't 
in  the  rich  gravy.  The  proportion  of  tomato  to  tish  is 
soon  ascertained  by  i)ractice,  but  it  is  never  a  fault  to 
have  too  much  of  the  I'ormer. 

Garlic  I  consider  a  most  valuable  article  of  food  in  a 
hot  climate,  especially  eaten  raw.  I  never  travelle  1  \\\i\\' 
out  a  siipjjly  of  garlic,  and  I  found  its  beneticial  i-ffe<  ts 
on  the  stomach  and  system  most  marked.  Wi.en  very 
hungry  and  fatigued  I  have  found  notliing  to  equal  a  few 
pieces  of  raw  garlic,  eaten  with  a  crust  of  bread  or  a 
biscuit,  for  producing  a  few  minutes  after  a  delightful 
sensation  of  repose,  and  that  feeling  of  the  stomach  being 
ready  to  receive  food,  generally  absent  when  excessive 
emptiness  or  exhaustion  is  the  case. 

The  Portuguese  in  Angola  as  a  rule  rarely  drink  any- 
thing stronger  than  Lisbon  red  wine.  Many  undoubtedly 
drink  a  great  deal  more  cold  water  than  is  necessary  or 
good  for  them,  as  constantly  drenching  the  stomach  with 
water  must  weaken  it  greatly. 

The  English  and  other  foreigners  on  the  coast,  on  the 
contrary,  make  use  of  too  much  brandy  and  spirits,  which 
is  a  primtijjal  cause  of  the  sickness  amongst  them,  but 
I  am  happy  to  say  that  drunkenness  has  very  greatly 
decreased  of  late  years ;  it  would  not  be  easy  to  see  now 
such  scenes  as  I  have  witnessed  at  Quissembo  and  Cabinda 
only  a  few  years  ago. 

I  was  at  the  former  place  when  an  Englishman  died 
from  the  effects  of  intemperance  a  few  hours  after  his 
arrival  from  Cabinda,  where  a  three  days'  orgie  had 
been  held  to  bid  him  good-bye  previous  to  his  return  to 
England. 

Kis  body  was  laid  on  a  table,  candles  were  lit  all  round 
it,  and  a  kind  of  wake  held  nearly  all  night,  during  which 
time  two  casks  of  bottled  ale  and  several  cases  of  spirits 
were  consumed  amongst  not  more  than  a  dozen  pet>ple. 
In  the  morning  a  hole  was  dug  in  the  sand,  and  the  body, 
in  a  wooden  cofHn,  lowered  into  it,  whilst  the  few  English 


I 


DRUNKENNESS.  299 


in  tbe  pl«^ce  stood  around,  most  of  tliem  crying,  and  held 
by  their  black  servants  to  prevent  them  from  fallin*^  jiito 
the  gra\e,  the  etVects  of  the  **  wake  "  not  allowii  g  them  to 
be  sufficiently  steady  to  stand  without  assistance.  An 
Americ-m,  since  dead,  pnor  fellow!  tried  to  read  t\.e 
burial  service,  but  lie  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  task,  his 
utterance  being  most  amusingly  choked  with  sobs  and 
liiccups. 

I  have  known  an  Englishman  to  invite  the  rest  of  his 
countrymen  to  dinner  on  Christmas-day,  and  only  a  very 
small  numlier  make  their  appearance,  the  rest  having  been 
overpowered  by  drink  at  breakfast  and  during  the  day. 

At  Cabinda,  on  one  occasion,  a  poor  fellow  who  was 
dying  was  taken  out  ,of  his  b(  d,  seated  on  a  chair  at  the 
head  of  the  table,  and  his  head  held  up  to  make  him  diink 
to  his  own  health,  whilst  the  rest  sang,  '*  For  he  is  a  jolly 
good  fellow !  "  Next  morning  he  was  found  dead  and  stiff' 
on  his  bed. 

The  reason  for  this  disgraceful  state  of  things  must 
not  be  laid  entirely  to  the  fault  of  the  men  or  the 
climate,  but  greatly  to  the  false  economy  of  the  stu})id 
and  bad  system  of  inducing  a  certain  class  of  young  men 
to  go  out  at  a  nominal  salary  for  several  years,  under  the 
pretence  of  learning  the  African  trade. 

It  is  rather  too  much  to  expect  a  young  man  to  devote 
his  entire  time  and  to  work  hard  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
away  Irom  his  family  and  every  amusement  and  relaxa- 
tion, placed  very  often  in  a  responsible  situation,  and 
knowing  that  his  employers  are  making  large  profits, 
whilst  he  is  earning  the  munificent  sum  of  201.,  30/.,  and 
4.01.,  for  the  first,  second,  and  third  year  of  his  engage- 
ment, and  that  also  liable  to  various  deductions,  and  with 
a  very  remote  chance  of  ever  becoming  a  head  agent. 

I  am  certain  that  the  popular  idea  against  the  use  of 
brandy  or  win^e  in  African  travel  is  erroneous  and  very 
mischievous,  and  may  be  the  cause  of  the  loss  of  valuable 
lives  in  future  exploration  if  not  refuted.  To  the  traveller 
in  perfect  health,  spirits  of  any  kind  are  no  doubt  unneces- 
sary, and  should  not  be  made  use  of  at  all  under  ordinary 


300  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

circumstances,  but  I  am  decidedly  of  opinion  that  wine 
and  water  (in  equal  parts)  is  almost  a  necessity,  and 
should  be  taken  at  meals  as  long  as  it  can  be  procureil. 
Lisbon  red  wine,  which  has  more  body  but  is  not  stronger 
than  claret,  is  unquestionably  the  best  for  this  purpose. 

When  chilled  with  wet,  exhausted  by  fatigue,  or  when  the 
stomach  and  bowels  are  deranged  by  the  heat,  or  bad  food 
and  water,  brandy  is  worth  its  weight  in  gold,  and  is  better 
and  more  efficacious  than  any  medicine.  It  is  all  very 
well  for  strong  healthy  people  in  Europe  to  cry  down 
brandy  because  its  use  is  abused,  and  because  any  fatigue 
they  may  undergo,  in  a  comfortable  manner,  is  easily  dis- 
pelled at  a  good  fire,  with  a  cup  of  nice  ten,  buttered  toast, 
and  warm  slippers,  but  let  them  travel  in  Alrica,  pt-rhaps 
drenched  by  lain,  with  clothes  and  food  all  soaked,  or 
weak  with  profuse  perspiration  and  bad  food,  stomach,  &c., 
out  of  order,  and  gasping  for  breath  under  the  hot  sun, 
and  they  will  confess  to  the  wonderfully  reviving  effect  of 
a  drop  of  good  brandy !  It  is  almost  as  suicidal  to  travel 
in  tropical  Afiica  without  brandy  as  without  quinine. 
Both  should  of  couise  only  be  used  on  occasions  when 
nec-essaiy.  During  eight  months  of  the  rainy  season  when 
I  was  exploring  the  province  of  Cambambe,  1  only  suffered 
from  one  fit  of  ague,  lasting  half  an  hour,  and  an  attack  of 
simple  intermittent  fever  for  about  four  hours,  and  my 
consumption  of  spirits  for  the  whole  time  was  about  a  litre 
bottle  full  of  brandy,  but  1  am  positive  that  it  saved  me 
from  illness  on  several  occasions.  The  risk  from  the 
climate  to  Europeans  in  tropical  Africa  is  quite  sufficient, 
without  incieasing  it  by  withholding  such  a  valuable  pro- 
tection as  brandy  from  our  explorers,  simply  from  tear 
of  its  abuse,  or  in  deference  to  popular  claptrap. 

A  very  important  rule  to  b3  observed  (and  invariably 
adopted  by  the  Portuguese)  is  to  take  a  cup  of  coffee  or 
tea  immediately  on  rising  at  daybreak."  I  made  my 
miners  at  Benguella  take  a  mugful  of  hot  coffee  and  a 
biscuit  every  morning  before  going  to  work,  with  great 
benefit  to  them. 

JMy  whole  experience  on  the  coast  has  taught  me  no 


FEVER.  301 


lesson  more  strongly  than  that  of  immediately  attending 
to  the  slij^htest  indication  of  illness  or  fever,  and  I  believe 
that  the  great  secret  or  means  of  enjoying  health  depends 
almost  entirely  on  this.  It  is  very  rarely  that  a  fever  or 
ague  comes  on  without  some  premonitory  indisposition, 
very  often  so  slight  as  to  be  disregarded — a  dryness  of  the 
mouth,  or  thirst,  or  a  nervous  exhilaration,  being  often 
the  forerunner  of  an  attack  of  fever. 

If  rest  be  taken  (a  slight  aperient  if  necessary),  and 
attention  paid  to  not  exposing  the  body  to  the  sun,  the 
attack  is  generally  slight,  or  does  not  come  on  at  all.  If 
it  does,  cooling  drinks  must  be  plentifully  made  use  of, 
and  means  adopted  to  cause  copious  perspiration  as  it 
passes  off,  and  care  taken  to  avoid  any  chill  or  cold. 

A  most  important  measure  is  to  take  the  sulphate  of 
quinine  immediately  the  pulse  is  reduced  to  its  natural 
beat,  but  not  beibre :  tliree  to  five  grains  are  to  be  taken 
every  half  hour,  until  fifteen  to  twenty-five  grains  have 
been  swallowed,  either  in  solution  or  made  into  pills  with 
a  little  camphor,  and  one  grain  of  opium  to  twenty  of 
sulphate  of  quinine. 

Any  kind  of  cooling  drink  most  palatable  to  the  patient 
may  be  made  use  of  liberally,  and  only  chicken  or  other 
bi-oth  as  food. 

This  treatment  in  the  majority  of  cases  will  suffice  to 
stop  the  fever  or  ague.  Ten  or  twelve  grains  of  quinine 
(in  small  doses)  should  be  given  a  few  hours  before  the 
completion  of  the  twenty- four  hours  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  attack,  when  its  recurrence  takes  place  if  the 
amount  of  quinine  first  given  has  not  been  sufficient  to 
arrest  it.  Should  the  attack  come  on  a  second  time,  the 
same  treatment  must  be  adopted,  with  an  increased  amount 
of  quinine.  For  a  couple  of  days  or  so  nothing  but  fowl- 
soup,  or  other  light  nutritious  food,  should  be  given,  only 
increasini!:  it  as  the  appetite  becomes  fully  developed,  and 
when  it  is  certain  that  the  attack  has  been  successfully 
combated.  A  very  strong  but  false  appetite  is  often 
developed  immediately  after  a  fever,  which  it  is  necessary 
to  be  very  careful  not  to  satisfy  with  strong  food,  as  this 


302  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

would  be  quite  sufficient  to  cause  indigestion,  and  ^ith 
certainty  produce  a  worse  attack  of  lever,  often  compli- 
cated with  dangerous  bilious  derangement,  vomiting,  <S:c. 
Bilious  fevers  of  a  bad  type  are  comparatively  rare  in 
Angola;  and  if  the  foregoing  all-important  precaution  is 
taken,  of  attending  carefully  to  a  lever  at  firat,  the;e  is 
but  little  fear  of  the  dangerous  type. 

A  great  deal  of  the  sickness  on  the  coast  is  entirely 
owing  to  the  want  of  this  precaution.  People  get  into  a 
careless  habit  of  going  about  with  a  little  fever  on  them 
every  day,  and  it  is  ordy  when  they  become  very  reduced 
in  strength,  or  unwell,  that  they  call  the  doctor  or  place 
themselves  under  proper  treatment  or  regimen. 

It  is  perfectly  impossible  to  account  for  the  origin  of 
fevers  in  Africa.  They  do  not  always  depend  upon  the 
proximity  of  marshes  or  stagnant  water.  They  were  very 
lYe(|uent  at  Bembe,  where  I  believe  the  thick  forest  around 
had  something  to  do  with  their  occurrence,  as  it  l.ecame 
healthier  as  these  were  gradually  cleared  away.  Fever  is 
sometimes  common  in  places  near  the  sea,  where  there 
are  neither  marshes  nor  forests  for  considerable  distances. 

Again,  the  banks  of  rivers  may  be  comparatively  free 
from  fevers,  whilst  at  the  same  time  places  apparently 
least  likely  are  suffering  from  them.  In  any  case,  even 
in  the  dangerous  type,  there  is  never  any  long  convales- 
cence or  recovery,  as  happens  with  the  agues  and  fevers 
of  the  marshy  places  in  Europe.  A  few  days  suffice  to 
restore  people  to  health  after  an  attack  of  African  fever 
and  ague,  and  in  a  short  time  flesh  and  stiength  are 
picked  up. 

There  is  no  effectual  substitute  for  quinine  as  yet 
known ;  its  use  by  subcutaneous  injection  has  not  yet  been 
adopted  in  Angola.  Many  Portuguese  have  a  prejudice 
against  quinine,  and  in  its  stead  make  use  of  a  common 
plant  called  "Fedegozo"  {Cassia  occidentalis). 

The  root,  which  is  excessively  bitter,  is  made  into 
decoction.  The  seeds  also  are  roasted  and  ground,  and 
their  infusion  taken  either  alone,  or  generally  mixed 
with  coffee. 


NATIVE  TREATMENT.  303 

The  natives  suffer  but  little  from  fever  and  ague,  and 
then  it  is  generally  the  result  of  a  chill,  on  the  change 
from  the  hot  to  the  cold  season.  Their  treatment  almost 
alsvays  con>ists  in  lying  quiet  until  nature  works  her  own 
cure,  but  they  also  make  use  of  a  strong  infusion  of  the 
leaves  of  the  ''Malulo,"  an  excessively  bitter  plant  {Ver- 
nonia  {Elephanto])its)  Senegalends). 

This  is  a  handsome,  herbaceous  shrub,  and  is  curious 
from  its  habit  of  being  (like  the  nettle  with  us)  the  first 
to  take  possession  of  and  grow  luxuriantly  on  all  bare 
open  places  where  habitations  or  plantations  have  existed. 
The  infusion  of  this  plant  is  also  universally  employed  by 
the  natives  in  bowel  complaints.  A  common  method 
they  have  of  curing  fever  is  to  induce  strong  perspiration 
by  squatting  over  an  earthen  pot  (just  removed  from  the 
fire)  sunk  in  a  hole  in  the  ground,  in  which  "Herva  Santa 
Maria"  (Chenoj)odium  amhrosioides)  and  "Sangue-sangue" 
have  been  boiled.  The  patient  is  well  covered  over,  and 
the  aromatic  vapour-bath  soon  produces  its  desired  effect. 
I  have  seen  blacks  cured  of  severe  attacks  of  fever  with 
one  or  two  applications  of  this  simple  remedy.  "  Sangue- 
sangue  "  is  the  name  given  to  the  large  seed-heads  of  a 
strong,  tall  grass  (a  species  of  Oijmhojpogon)^  which  ex- 
hales a  very  powerlul  aromatic  odour  when  crushed. 

The  "  Herva  Santa  Maria  "  grows  very  abundantly  every- 
where in  Angola,  and,  as  in  other  warm  countries  where 
it  is  found,  its  medicinal  properties  are  held  in  great  repute. 
It  is  a  small  annual  plant,  generally  about  a  foot  and  a 
half  high,  very  green  and  bushy,  and  every  part  of  it  is 
hotly  and  strongly  aromatic. 

In  almost  every  complaint  the  natives  first  apply  this 
plant  as  a  remedy.  For  internal  pains  Ci  qnqvj  kind 
it  is  taken  as  decoction,  or  the  crushed  phint  rubbed 
over  the  seat  of  the  pain ;  for  blows,  swellings,  and  bruises, 
a  poultice  of  the  fresh  plant  is  employed.  "When  the 
back  aches  from  carrying  a  heavy  load,  &c.,  fresh  leaves 
are  rubbed  on  the  spine,  and  a  handful  of  the  crushed 
plant  is  placed  between  the  skin  and  the  waistcloth.  In 
cases  of  head-ache,  the  crushed  plant  is  rubbed  over  the 


304  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

head,  and  plugs  of  the  leaves  inserted  in  the  capacious 
nostrils ;  for  this  pain  they  also  paint  the  forehead  with 
the  milky  juice  of  the  mandioca  plant,  and  place  one 
or  more  white  dots  on  the  temples  of  "pemba"  or  white 
clay.  A  shrub  growing  near  streams,  called  "Entuehi" 
(the  botanical  name  of  which  I  know  not),  the  leaves 
and  young  shoots  of  which,  when  freshly  crushed,  exhale 
a  delicious  smell  of  bitter  almonds,  is  also  used,  to  plug 
the  nostrils  in  cases  of  headache. 

There  is  remarkably  little  diarrhoea  or  dysentery  in 
Angola,  either  amongst  the  natives  or  whites.  The  treat- 
ment for  it  adopted  by  the  natives  consists  exclusively 
in  taking  decoctions  of  yarious  astringent  and  aromatic 
plants. 

The  principal  are  "  Empebi,"  the  aromatic  seeds  of  the 
Anona  muricata;  '*Mucozo,"  the  thick,  fleshy,  rose-coloured 
bark  of  a  large,  handsome  iiir-tree,  and  yery  strongly 
astringent ;  the  "  Jindungo  N'Congo "  (Congo-pepper), 
the  carpels  of  the  Xylojna  wtMoj)ica,  with  a  disagreeable, 
resinous  taste ;  "  Ensacu-sacu,"  the  small,  knobby  roots  of 
a  plant  growing  in  marshy  places,  and  with  a  strong 
smell  of  turpentine,  and  the  roots  and  stems  of  the 
Hydnora  already  described. 

A  singular  disease  of  a  dysenteric  character,  and  pe- 
culiar to  the  blacks,  is  called  "  macule,"  and.  is  quickly 
fatal  if  not  attended  to  promptly,  when  it  is  easily  cured. 
It  commences  with  strong  diarrhoea,  but  its  chief  cha- 
racteristic is  the  production  in  the  anal  oritiee,  botli 
internally  and  externally,  of  little  ulcers  containing  mas^- 
gots.  The  native  method  of  treatment  is  quickly  effi- 
cacious, and  consists  in  plugging  the  orifice  with  a  wad 
of  crushed  "  Herva  Santa  Maria "  dipped  in  strong  rum 
and  ground  gunpowder,  and  any  kind  of  astringent  medi- 
cine is  given  at  the  same  time.  This  disease  was  very 
previilent  in  the  slave  barracoons ;  and  I  was  told  that  at 
the  French  depot  at  Banana,  when  they  shipped  some 
thousands  of  blacks  some  years  ago  under  the  name  of 
"free  emigrants,"  the  slaves  were  dying  at  the  rate  of 
fifty  and  sixty  each  day  from  this  disease,  whilst  under 


ULCERS.  305 


Ihe  care  of  the  Frencli  surgeons;  but  that  when  these 
left  from  ill  health,  and  the  slaves  were  entrusted  to  the 
care  of  black  medicine-men  skilled  in  the  treatment  of 
"maculo,"  the  deaths  decreased  immediately  to  a  very- 
small  number. 

This  disease  is  due  to  overcrowding  and  improper  food ; 
but  change  of  place  will  also  produce  it.  Slaves  from  the 
interior  mostly  have  it  on  coming  into  possession  of  the 
white  man,  when  it  is  probably  induced  by  the  change 
from  tlieir  usual  poor  food  to  the  very  much  better  sus- 
tenance given  them  by  their  new  masters. 

Sores  and  ulcers  on  the  feet  and  legs  are  extremely 
common,  and  are  troublesome  to  heal,  whether  in  natives 
or  Europeans.  The  blacks  use  a  variety  of  remedies,  and 
are  sometimes  very  successful  in  the  cure  of  stubborn 
cases. 

I  had  a  boy  at  Bembe  called  *'  Brilhante  "  (Brilliant), 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  a  fine,  sharp  little  fellow,  the 
son  of  a  *•  capata  "  or  head-man  of  a  number  of  carriers 
from  the  town  of  Musserra.  A  fetid  ulcer  appeared  on 
his  leg,  and  I  put  him  in  the  military  hospital  under  the 
doctor's  care,  where  he  remained  for  three  months  without 
the  least  improvement,  although  every  care  was  taken  of 
him,  and  every  remedy  employed  that  could  be  thought 
of.  At  last,  his  father  said  he  would  take  him  to  the 
coast,  and  see  whether  the  native  treatment  could  cure 
him.  Two  months  after,  he  returned  to  Bembe,  bringing 
me  little  Brilhante  perfectly  cured.  Our  doctor  was 
astounded,  but  although  I  offered  the  boy's  father  a 
large  reward  if  he  would  obtain  for  me  the  plants,  &c., 
employed  by  the  medicine-man,  he  never  did.  Their 
principal  remedy,  however,  is  powdered  malachite,  with 
or  without  lime-juice.  Lime-juice  is  also  used  by  itself, 
or  with  powdered  "  mubafo  "  or  gum  elemi,  which  is  very 
abundant  in  the  Mushicongo  country.  Poultices  and  de- 
coctions made  of  crushed  '•  Herva  Santa  Maria,"  and  of 
various  other  plants  are  also  applied  to  the  sores,  which 
are  protected  from  dust  and  Hies  by  a  piece  of  rag,  or 
very  often  by  a  light  shield  made  ixpm.  a  piece  of  dry 

X 


303  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

gourd.  Ointments  are  never  made  use  of  by  the  natives 
in  the  treatment  of  ulcers,  and  they  are  not  much  in 
favour  with  the  Portuijuese. 

From  the  sudden  fall  of  the  high  temperature  of  the 
hot  season  to  the  **cacimbo"  the  natives,  as  might  be 
expected,  suffer  most  from  diseases  of  the  respiratory 
organs.  No  provision  whatever  is  made  by  the  bulk  of 
the  natives  against  this  great  change,  and  the  quick 
transition  from  the  clear  warm  nights  of  the  hot  season 
to  the  cold  wet  ones  of  the  "  cacimbo,"  when  the  ground 
is  covered  with  a  heavy  mist,  tells  on  their  nearly  naked 
and  unprotected  bodies  with  terribly  fatal*  effect.  In  fact, 
by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  blacks  die  from  this  cau^!e ; 
and  so  true  is  this,  that  it  is  rare  to  see  a  white-headed 
native  in  Angola. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  a  wise  provision  of  nature 
for  keeping  down  the  otherwise  excessive  numbers  of  the 
human  animal  in  that  country,  and  it  is  certainly  more 
natural  and  merciful  than  the  supplementary  measures 
adopted  by  themselves,  of  poisoning  by  '*  casca  "  or  other- 
wise killing  one  another  for  "fetish  "  or  witchcraft,  or  in  times 
of  famine.  Should  the  negro  race  ever  be  civilized,  they 
must  be  taught  to  be  more  industrious,  or  else  means  must 
be  adopted  to  enable  the  teeming  millions  to  seek  work 
and  food  in  other  countries ;  subjects,  I  am  afraid  but  too 
little  regarded, by  philanthropists  in  their  present  anxious 
solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  these  lazy,  happy  brutes. 

It  is  a  w^onderful  scene  when  travelling  with  a  caravan 
in  the  "cacimbo"  season,  to  see  perhaps  two  or  three 
hundred  blacks  wake  up  in  the  cold  misty  mornings,  and 
crouch  in  circles  of  ten  or  a  dozen  together  round  a  fire, 
shivering  and  chattering  their  teeth.  It  is  then  that  they 
enjoy  smoking  the  "diamba"  {Cannabis  sativa),  which  is 
the  name  they  ^ive  to  the  wild  hemp,  the  flowering  tops 
of  which  are  collected  and  dried  for  this  purpose.  It  is 
burnt  in  a  straight  clay-pipe  bowl  inserted  in  the  closed 
end  of  a  long  gourd,  in  which  is  contained  a  small  quantity 
of  water,  and  through  which  the  smoke  is  forced  and 
washed  when  the  open  end  of  the  gourd  is  put  to  the 


SMOKING   WILD  HEMP.  307 

mouth  and  suction  applied.  (Plate  XIV.)  Four  or  six 
long  deep  inspirations  from  tlie  gourd  are  as  much  as  a 
man  can  bear  of  the  disagreeable  acrid  smoke,  which  makes 
them  cough  and  expectorate  as  if  their  lungs  were  coming 
out  of  their  mouths.  The  gourd  is  rapidly  passed  from 
one  to  another  in  each  circle,  and  the  mighty  chorus  of 
violent  coughing  and  hawking  lasts  for  about  ten  minutes 
or  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The  effects  of  the  wild  hemp 
(from  which  the  "  hasheesh "  of  other  countries  is  pre- 
pared) are  curious,  and  appear  to  be  different  from  those 
described  as  attending  its  use  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
There  is  no  intoxicating  effect  produced,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  blacks  affirm  that  it  wakes  them  up  and  warms 
their  bodies,  so  that  they  are  ready  to  start  up  with 
alacrity,  take  up  tlieir  loads,  and  trot  off  quickly. 

I^Jatives  who  smoke  "diamba"  immoderately,  and  make 
themselves  slaves  to  the  habit,  have  their  brains  affected  in 
time,  and  become  stupid  and  listless.  When  they  arriv^e 
at  this  stage,  they  are  '*fetished"  like  drunkards.  The 
Portuguese  prohibit  their  slaves  from  indulging  in  tliis 
habit.  The  plant  is  cultivated  round  the  huts  every- 
where in  Angola,  but  except  in  the  cold  season  diamba- 
smoking  is  not  very  general. 

The  natives  have  no  efficient  remedies  or  treatment  for 
bronchitis,  pleurisy,  and  pneumonia,  from  which  they  suffer 
so  much  and  so  fatally  in  the  cold  season.  They  chew  the 
stem  of  a  kind  of  rush  growing  in  streams  and  marshy 
places,  the  juice  of  which  has  an  agreeable  taste  of  acetic 
acid,  and  make  a  few  emulcent  drinks  from  the  leafless 
parasite  Cassytha,  a  large  mallow,  and  the  seed-heads  of 
the  Sangue-sangue ;  these,  and  rubbing  the  chest  with 
*'  tacula "  mixed  with  a  pulp  of  the  bruised  leaves  of 
*•'  Herva  Santa  Maria,"  '*  Ensuso-ensuso,"  "  Brucutu,"  and 
other  plants,  are  their  only  applications.  With  slaves  or 
other  blacks  under  the  care  of  Europeans,  only  the  most 
energetic  medical  treatment  will  save  their  lives  when 
attacked  by  these  complaints,  so  dangerous  and  rapid  is 
the  effect  on  their  constitutions. 

Ophthalmia,  or  any  affection  of  the  eyes,  is  extremely 

X  2 


808  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lUVER  CONGO. 

rare  in  Angola,  either  amongst  natives  or  Europeans, 
which  is  singular,  considering  that  the  littoral  region  is 
so  white  and  sandy  in  many  places. 

A  kind  oF  itch  called  *•  sarna  "  is  very  common  among 
the  blacks:  it  appears  as  little  watery  pustules  on  the 
hands  and  feet,  and  in  severe  cases  on  the  elbows  and 
knees,  and  on  the  arms  and  legs.  These  pustules  break 
into  sores,  which  become  covered  with  matter  and  scales, 
and  are  accompanied  by  a  little  swelling  and  pain,  but 
not  much  itching.  It  does  not  appear  to  be  contagious, 
and  I  was  unable  to  find  acari  in  several  cases  that  I 
examined  under  the  microscope. 

I  believe  it  is  principally  the  result  of  dirt  and  filth, 
but  is  not  always  so,  as  the  Cabindas  and  the  cleaner 
tribes  have  it,  although  not  to  such  an  extent  as  tribes 
like  the  Mushicongos,  who  are  so  muchdirtier  in  their  habits. 
Europeans  are  almost  sure  to  have  it  after  some  years 
residence  in  the  country,  and  I  have  known  this  to  be  the 
case  with  some  who  were  scrupulously  clean  in  their  per- 
sons and  habits.  It  readily  gives  way  to  sulphur  ointment, 
and  the  blacks  have  no  native  remedy  so  efficacious  as 
this,  which  is  therefore  often  asked  for  by  them. 

I  remember,  on  my  first  arrival  in  Africa,  witnessing  a 
little  episode  that  produced  some  impression  on  my  then 
inexperienced  mind.  I  saw  one  morning,  from  my  window 
at  Bembe,  a  black  w^oman  and  a  little  girl  go  out  into 
the  enclosure  at  the  back  of  my  neighbour's  house,  both 
carrying  kitchen  pots  and  pans,  plates,  and  cups  and 
saucers,  which  they  placed  ready  for  washing  up  on  the 
usual  "  tarimba,"  a  kind  of  table  or  framework  of  sticks 
on  four  uprights,  to  be  seen  in  every  yard  for  this  pur- 
pose. Before  going  on  with  her  work,  how^ever,  the 
woman  stripped  the  child  naked,  and  proceeded  with  both 
hands  to  rub  her  little  body  all  over  with  sulphur  ointment, 
she  being  covered  from  head  to  foot  with  this  *•  sarna." 
When  she  had  thoroughly  rubbed  in  the  ointment  to  her 
satisfaction,  she  del.berately,  without  even  so  much  as 
wiping  her  hands  on  a  rag,  poured  some  water  into  a 
frying-pan  and  cleaned  it  w  ith  her  hands ;  she  did  the 


NATIVE  REMEDIES.  309 

same  with  the  rest  of  the  pans  and  crockery,  and  left 
them  to  drain  on  the  "  tarimba  "  ready  for  preparing  her 
master's  breakfast ! 

I  afterwards,  in  the  course  of  time,  had  any  little  squeam- 
ishness  or  prejudices  that  I  had  brought  with  me  from 
England  rubbed  off  by  other  instances  of  similar  insigni- 
ficant negh'gences  on  the  part  of  the  black  cooks  in  Africa. 
I  once  found  a  fine  cutting  of  a  big-toe  nail  on  a  beefsteak ; 
another  time,  a  round  head  with  a  beak  and  large  eyes, 
and  a  body  of  an  indistinct  and  cloudy  nature,  in  a  rice- 
pudding,  from  a  half-hatched  egg  having  been  stirred  into 
it  in  its  manufacture;  and  in  a  roast  fowl  I  was  disap- 
pointed in  cutting  open  what  I  fondly  tliought  was  its 
stuffed  breast,  to  find  that  it  was  the  poor  hen's  crop,  full 
of  indian-corn,  cockroaches,  and  a  fine  centipede,  I 
also,  as  I  have  said  before,  once  saw  my  cook  at  Ambriz 
making  some  forcemeat-balls  quite  round  and  smooth 
by  rolling  them  with  the  palm  of  his  hand  on  his  naked 
stomach ! 

Another  skin  disease,  principally  attacking  children, 
and  said  to  be  very  contagious,  appears  in  the  form  of 
little  bladders  filled  with  water.  The  treatment  for  this 
disease  is  to  touch  the  vesicles  with  caustic,  when  they 
soon  heal ;  but  the  natives  adopt  a  barbarous  and  painful 
process,  which  is  to  rub  them  off  with  a  rough  indian-corn 
cob  and  sand  and  water,  and  then  cover  the  raw  places 
with  powdered  malachite  and  lime-juice.  When  at  Bembe, 
my  \Mfe  was  horrified  at  finding  two  or  three  women  busily 
engaged  in  the  cure  of  this  complaint  on  a  child  near  a 
very  pretty  pool  of  water,  to  which  we  had  gone  to  collect 
butterflies;  but  instead  of  using  a  corn  cob,  they  Avere 
actually  scraping  the  poor,  yelling  little  unfortunate's 
sores  with  a  piece  of  sharp  potsherd!  It  is,  however, 
satisfactory  to  know  that  the  treatment,  although  cruel, 
is  efficacious. 

The  purgatives  made  use  of  by  the  negroes  are  the 
castor-oil  seeds  ground  and  mixed  with  a  little  water,  and 
the  juice  of  the  plant  bearing  the  physic-nut  (Jatrojjha 
curcas).    This  is  collected  on  a  leaf  from  a  cut  made  in 


310  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

the  stem  of  the  plant,  and  at  once  swallowed ; — from  five 
to  ten  drops  appear  to  be  a  dose. 

Epsom  salts  are  a  very  favourite  medicine  of  the  blacks 
living  with  the  white  men  near  the  coast,  and  I  have  seen 
them  take  a  great  mugjul  of  a  strong  solution  of  this  Kalt 
without  making  a  wry  face.  Tiiey  are  also  very  fond  of 
being  cupped  for  any  pain,  and  it  is  rare  to  see  a  man  *jv 
woman  wiiose  back  or  shoulders  do  not  bear  signs  of  this 
opera*  ion. 

Bleeding  seems  to  suit  the  negro  constitution  admir- 
ably, and  the  Bnnda-speaking  natives  ara  very  skilful  in 
the  use  of  the  lancet,  often  with  dreadfully  blunt  instru- 
ments. 

One  of  the  natives  in  my  service  at  Cambambe  was 
a  capital  hand  at  bleeding,  but  his  lancet  was  in  such 
shocking  condition,  that  I  took  some  pains  to  sharpen  it 
properly  on  a  hone :  the  first  time  he  used  it  afterwards, 
he  nearly  killed  the  man  he  operated  upon,  for,  accus- 
tomed to  find  considerable  resistance  to  its  blunt  point,  he 
applied  the  same  force  to  it  when  sharpened.  He  told  me 
confidentially  that  he  was  much  obliged  to  me  for  "  fetish- 
ing"  the  lancet,  as  he  was  sure  I  had  not  made  it  so  sharp 
by  merely  grinding  on  a  stone,  and  he  also  told  me  that 
no  blood-letter,  would  be  able  to  compete  with  him. 

For  sweljings  in  the  feet,  &c  ,  they  are  fond  of  making 
a  number  of  little  incisions  in  the  skin  with  a  razor  or 
common  knife,  and  I  have  often  lent  them  my  sharp  pen- 
knife lor  tliis  purpose. 

For  inflammation  of  the  bowels,  colic,  or  other  violent 
pains,  great  use  is  made  of  the  fresh  leaves  of  the  tobacco 
plant,  applied  as  gathered  to  the  abdomen,  or  better  still, 
alter  dipping  in  boiling  water.  They  are  also  chopped  up 
and  niade  into  a  poultice  with  castor-oil.  I  have  heard 
such  wondeiful  accounts  of  the  efficacy  of  this  remedy  iu 
those  cases,  both  from  the  natives  and  Portuguese  who 
have  used  it,  that  I  hope  some  of  my  medical  readers 
may  be  induced  to  give  it  a  trial,  ^^hich  could  easily  be 
done  even  here,  where  tobacco  is  now  so  generally  grown 
out  of  doors  as  an  ornamental  plant  in  our  gardens. 


NATIVE  REMEDIES,  311 

The  leaves  of  the  castor-oil  plant  are  also  employed  in 
the  same  manner,  but  are  said  not  to  be  so  efficatiions. 

A  short,  broad-leaved  grass  covered  with  hairs,  exuding 
a  sticky  gum,  and  with  a  resinous  smell,  ^rows  in  the  in- 
terior, and  when  very  tired  the  natives  drink  an  infusion 
of  it,  which  they  say  acts  with  great  benefit. 

There  are  a  variety  of  other  plants  employed  by  the 
natives  in  the  cure  of  various  complaints,  but  of  their 
positive  efficacy  I  can  only  speak  in  two  cases.  One  is  a 
shrub  with  a  very  peculiar  leaf,  but  which  unfortunately 
I  did  not  observe  in  flower,  and  therefore  did  not  collect  a 
specimen,  so  that  I  cannot  ascertain  its  botanical  name. 
About  Benguella  its  name  is  '*Mboi."  The  root  is  sliced, 
and  the  decoction  employed  to  rinse  the  mouth  in  scurvy. 

A  Portuguese  trader  at  Novo  Kedondo  first  told  me  of 
this  plant,  and  that  it  had  quickly  cured  him  of  a  dread- 
fully ulcerated  mouth  from  scurvy,  after  every  other 
remedy  lie  had  had  from  the  druggists  at  Loanda  had 
failed.  On  arriving  at  Egito  1  found  my  friend  the 
"chefe"  there  also  suffering  from  a  very  bad  mouth.  I 
went  into  the  bush  in  search  of  this  plant,  and  obtained 
a  bundle  of  the  roots  for  him  ;  a  few  days  after,  I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  receiving  a  letter  telhng  me  it  had 
cured  him  perfectly. 

Another  remedy  for  stomach  and  liver  complaints,  from 
which  I  have  seen  great  benefit  derived  by  the  Portuguese 
who  have  used  it,  is  the  root  of  a  creeper  bearing  very 
pretty  small  white  flowers  {Boerhaavia  sp.),  and  growing 
most  abundantly  everywhere  in  Angola. 

A  clerk  of  mine  at  Ambriz,  who  complained  of  pain  in 
his  stomach,  and  who  was  in  ill  health  for  several  months, 
notwithstanding  the  doctor's  care,  was  quite  cured  in  a 
short  time  by  the  use  of  the  decoction  of  this  root.  I  gave 
it  to  him,  having  seen  its  good  results  in  several  cases  at 
Benguella. 

Singularly  enough,  there  is  very  little  rheumatism 
amongst  the  natives  of  Angola.  Europeans  also  suffer 
but  little  from  this  complaint;  but  a  few  years  ago  an 
epidemic  of  a  kind  of  rheumatic  fever  attacked  the  natives 


312  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

and  nearly  every  white  at  Loanda  and  its  neighbourhood. 
It  was  like  a  simple  fever,  but  accompanied  with  sudden 
pain  in  every  joint,  rendering  the  slightest  movement 
almost  impossible.  This  lasted  only  a  few  days,  and  the 
patients  gradually  got  well.  If  I  remember  right,  there 
was  no  fatal  termination  to  any  case  among  the  Euro- 
peans. This  disease  is  known  in  Angola  by  the  name  of 
*' Catolo-tolo,"  and  nearly  forty  years  had  elapsed  since 
its  previous  appearance  at  Loanda. 

Leeches  are  extremely  abundant  in  the  fresh-water 
lagoons  of  Angola,  and  are  much  used  by  the  Portuguese. 

In  former  days  when  there  was  more  intercourse  between 
Angola  and  the  Brazils,  leeches  were  an  important  article 
of  export,  as  they  fetched  a  high  price  in  the  latter 
country.  I  have  often  bought  a  large  clay-pot  full  of 
fine  leeches  for  a  few  fathoms  of  cotton  cloth. 

The  acrid,  milky  juice  of  the  euphorbias  is  very  dan- 
gerous to  the  eyes  i'f  it  should  drop  into  them,  no  un- 
common circumstance  in  clearing  away  bush,  &c.  As  a 
remedy  the  natives  employ  the  juice  of  the  Sanseviera 
Angolensis^  Welw.  I  imagine  that  any  good  effect  of  this 
plant  in  such  cases  is  more  mechanical  than  otherwise,  as 
it  is  so  full  of  watery  juice  that,  by  simply  twisting  the 
rod-like  leaves,  abundance  of  it  immediately  squirts  out. 


(    313    ) 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CUSTOMS  —  BURIAL  —  WHITE    ANT  —  WASPS  —  FRUITS  — 
SCENTS  —  SPITTING   SNAKE  —  SOARABiEUS  —  LEMUR. 

There  are  several  peculiar  habits  and  customs,  common 
to  the  natives  of  Angola,  that  I  have  not  mentioned  in 
tlie  preceding  chapters.  One  of  the  most  striking  and 
pleasing  is  their  regard  for  their  parents  and  old  people. 
These  are  always  consulted  before  they  undertake  a 
journey,  or  hire  themselves  as  carriers  or  for  other 
service,  and  they  always  bid  them  good-bye,  and  leave 
them  some  little  present  of  beads  or  rum.  On  returning 
to  their  towns  they  immediately  see  their  fathers  and 
mothers  and  the  old  people,  and  squat  down  and  "  beat 
hands  "  to  them,  and  give  an  account  of  their  doings.  A 
little  food  is  then  eaten  together,  and  they  consider  that 
they  have  done  their  duty.  Neither  the  men  nor  women 
will  smoke  whilst  speaking  to  their  old  people,  but  always 
take  their  pipes  out  of  their  mouths,  or  if  their  hands  are 
engaged,  hold  the  pipe-stem  across  their  teeth.  Other 
marks  of  respect  always  practised  to  their  old  men,  to 
their  kings,  and  to  white  men,  are,  when  passing  between 
or  close  to  them,  to  bend  their  bodies  slightly  and  snap 
their  lingers :  if  they  meet  them  on  the  road,  they  will 
stand  aside  without  moving,  till  they  have  passed,  and  if 
carrying  a  load  on  the  head,  always  remove  it  to  the 
shoulder,  or  lift  it  above  the  head  on  both  hands.  A  guij 
is  never  carried  on  the  shoulder  in  similar  cases,  but 
always  in  the  hand,  horizontally  at  the  side.. 

Smoking  is    universal,    but    although    they    are    very 
fond  of  the  habit,  and  the  pUnt  grows  luxuriantly  and 


3U  ANGOLA  AND  THE  EIVER  CONGO. 

^Yithout  any  trouble,  tobacco  is  comparatively  dear  in  all 
parts  of  Angola.  It  is  a  very  usual  thing  to  see  a  native 
put  a  great  piece  of  lighted  charcoal  in  his  empty  pipe- 
bowl,  and  puif  away,  as  he  says,  to  warm  himself.  They 
generally  carry  the  bits  of  plaited  tobacco  behind  the 
ear.  Tobacco  is  always  smoked  pure.  Only  amongst  the 
Mushicongos  have  I  seen  them  put  small  chips  of  a  sweet- 
smelh'ng  root  (probably  a  species  of  orris)  in  their  pipes 
with  the  tobacco,  to  give  a  flavour  to  the  smoke.  This 
root  they  call  ''Ncombo"  or  "goat,"  its  beautiful  scent 
being  compared  by  the  natives  to  that  of  a  billy-goat !     - 

Snuff-taking  is  also  very  general,  the  Mushicongos  and 
the  natives  of  the  Zombo  country  beyond,  who  bring  down 
the  ivory  to  the  coast,  being  the  tribes  most  addicted  to 
the  habit.  The  tobacco  leaf  is  well  dried  over  a  fire,  and 
ground  on  a  stone,  when  it  is  ready  for  nse,  but  the  above- 
mentioned  tribes  are  not  satisfied  with  it  in  its  pure  con- 
dition, and  to  make  it  stronger  mix  it  with  a  white  ash 
obtained  by  burning  the  twigs  of  a  bush  which  appears  to 
be  very  alkaline.  This  even  is  not  sufficiently  strong  for 
many  of  their  delicate  noses,  and  dried  ground  Chili 
(cayenne)  pepper  is  also  added  to  obtain  the  degree  of 
strength  desired. 

Their  snuff-box  is  generally  a  length  of  cane  between 
two  knots,  the  open  end  being  closed  by  a  small  wooden 
stopper,  secured  to  the  snuff-box  by  a  bit  of  string  passing 
through  a  hole  in  the  centre.  Snuff-boxes  are  also  carved 
out  of  wood,  and  variously  ornamented.  The  ordinary 
way  of  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff,  between  the  forefinger  and 
thumb,  is  unknown  to  the  blacks,  and  would  be  considered 
a  very  unsatisfactory  method.  They  pour  about  a  tea- 
spoonlul  of  snuff  into  the  palm  of  the  hand,  and  burying 
their  wide  and  capacious  nostrils  in  the  peppery  mixture, 
snort  it  up  loudly,  aided  by  a  rotary  motion  of  the  half- 
closed  hand. 

Many  allow  a  scrubby,  woolly  moustache  to  .grow  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  plastering  it  thickly  with  snuff,  so  that 
when  on  a  journey  and  carrying  a  load,  they  can  take  it  by 
simply  curling  up  the   upper  "lip   and   sniffing  strong!  v. 


CUSTOMS.  315 


without  stoppino^  or  laying  down  the  load  to  open  the 
box  and.  take  it  in  the  ordinary  way. 

Neithei-  infanticide  nor  abortion  are  practised  in  iVngola  ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  considered  a  misfortune  not  to  have 
children,  and  their  marriages  may  be  dissolved  if  they  prove 
barren. 

The  Mundombes  have  a  carious  custom  in  connection 
with  this  desire  for  children.  A  banana-tree  is  planted  on 
the  day  of  their  marriage,  and  if  on  its  producing  its  first 
bunch  of  fruit,  which  is  generally  in  nine  or  ten  months 
after,  a  child  should  not  have  been  born,  the  contract  is 
considered  void,  and  they  may  marry  again. 

The  common  way  amongst  blacks  to  assert  the  truth  of 
a  statement,  is  to  go  on  their  knees  and  rub  the  forefinger 
of  each  hand  on  the  ground,  and  then  touch  their  tongues 
and  forehead  with  the  dusty  tips ;  this  is  equivalent  to 
an  oath.  About  Loanda  they  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 
on  the  ground  with  a  finger,  for  the  same  purpose,  and 
this  is  evidently  derived  from  some  old  custom  introduced 
by  the  former  missionaries. 

Some  of  the  actions  of  the  blacks  are  exactly  the  same 
as  those  performed  by  monkeys.  In  using  their  hands  and 
fingers  to  clean  or  polish  a  piece  of  brass  work,  for  instance, 
the  feeble  and  nerveless  manner  of  holding  the  bit  of  oiled 
rag,  and  the  whole  action  of  the  hand  and  arm,  is  strikingly 
like  that  of  a  monkey  when  it  rubs  its  hands  on  the  ground 
when  they  are  sticky  or  dirty.  Their  manner  of  sliding 
their  hands  up  and  down  on  the  edge  of  a  door  or  on  a 
door-post,  or  along  the  edges  of  a  table  whilst  waiting  or 
speaking,  is  very  monkey-like,  and  no  black — man,  woman, 
or  child — ever  goes  along,  a  corridor  or  narrow  passage 
without  rubbing  both  hands  on  the  walls. 

Blacks,  especially  women,  have  a  singular  way  of  carrying 
any  object  in  the  hand,  which  always  appeared  to  me  to 
be  very  uncomfortable.  A  plate  or  glass,  for  instance,  is  in- 
variably carried  as  in  Plate  XIV.,  the  hand  being  thrown 
back  and  the  object  taken  on  the  flat,  extended  palm.  The 
greater  flexibility  of  the  joints  in  the  negro  race  may 
have  something  to  do  with  this,  as  also  with  the  fact  of  their 


316  ANGOLA  AND  THE  lUVER  CONGO. 

squatting  on  their  heels,  but  with  their  knees  not  touching 
the  ground,  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  and  then 
getting  up  apparently  without  the  slightest  stiffness  from 
what  would  be  to  most  of  us  a  very  uncomfortable 
position. 

Blacks  have  an  odd  habit,  Mhen  they  feel  cold,  of 
placing  their  hands  on  their  shoiilders,  not  with  their 
arms  crossed,  as  would  be  most  natural  for  us  to  do,  but 
each  hand  on  its  corresponding  shoulder,  and  if  they  feel 
very  cold,  they  bring  their  elbows  together  in  front  and 
shrink  their  heads  into  their  shoulders,  so  that  the  ears 
touch  the  sides  of  the  hands. 

They  are  fond  of  gambling,  particularly  the  inhabitants 
of  Loanda,  and  also  the  slaves  and  servants  of  the  white 
men  on  the  coast.  For  this  they  use  playing-cards,  and 
also  small  round  pieces  of  crockery  ground  on  a  stone  to 
the  size  of  a  sixpence,  and  these  they  shake  in  the  hands 
and  throw  up  in  the  same  way  as  a  handful  of  halfpence 
in  our  game  of  *'  toss,"  and  according  as  a  greater  or  lesser 
number  of  the  plain  or  coloured  sides  come  down  upper- 
most, so  do  the  players  win  or  lose.  I  have  also  seen  in 
several  places  a  board  in  which  were  a  number  of  shallow 
pits,  and  in  these  a  few  seeds  or  round  pebbles,  which 
were  rapidly  shifted  about  into  the  different  holes  by  the 
two  players,  but  I  could  never  make  out  the  plan  of  the 
game.  Beyond  this,  and  the  "  batuco "  or  dance,  and 
playing  the  "marimba,"  the  natives  of  Angola  have  abso- 
lutely no  game  or  amusement  of  any  kind  whatever. 

The  youngsters  have  no  toys  or  playthings,  and  never 
race  or  play  together  as  ours  do. 

None,  either  young  or  old,  know  or  practise  a  single 
game  of  skill  or  strength  ;  there  is  not  an  indication  any- 
where that  they  ever  contended  at  ball,  stick,  wrestling, 
or  any  other  exercise  or  feat.  Tin's  to  my  mind  is  striking 
in  the  highest  degree,  and  most  suggestive  of  a  singularly 
low  type,  one  in  which  no  sentiment  of  emulation  or  rivalry 
exists,  and  consequently  very  difficult  to  work  upon  with 
much  chance  of  success  for  its  advancement. 

I  have  never  seen  or  heard  of  any  monument,  or  sculp- 


BURIAL.  317 


tured  rocks  or  stones,  being  found  in  the  country,  whicli 
might  indicate  the  existence  of  a  previous  race ;  and  the 
most  curious  thing  is  that  even  tradition  of  any  kind  is 
unknown  to  the  blacks  of  Angohi.  In  no  case  could  they 
trace  events  further  back  than  during  the  reign  of  five 
"  sobas ;"  no  very  great  length  of  time  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  these  are  generally  old  men  when  elected. 
They  do  not  even  know  the  history  of  the  crucifixes  now 
existing  amongst  them  as  *' fetishes"  of  the '*  sobas,"  and 
when  I  have  explained  to  them  that  they  formerly  belonged 
to  the  missionaries,  they  were  astonished,  and  gave  as  a 
reason  for  their  ignorance  and  my  knowledge,  that  the 
white  men  could  write,  whereas,  when  they  died,  nothing 
they  had  seen  or  known  was  preserved,  as  our  writings 
were,  for  the  information  of  their  children. 

This  again,  I  think,  is  very  indicative  of  their  low 
type;  as  also  is  the  fact  that  no  animal  is  tamed  or 
utilized  by  the  negro,  or  made  subservient  to  his  comfort 
in  any  way.  Even  the  cows  or  goats  are  not  milked  except 
by  the  natives  south  of  the  liiver  Quanza.  In  no  part  of 
Angola  (and  the  same  holds  good,  I  believq,  of  the  whole 
negro  race)  is  a  single  animal  employed  in  agriculture  as 
a  beast  of  burden,  or  for  riding. 

The  burial  places  of  the  blacks  of  Angola  are  almost 
everywhere  alike.  A  square  place  is  raised  about  a  foot 
from  the  ground,  and  the  earth  enclosed  by  short  stakes 
or  fiat  pieces  of  rock,  and  on  this  raised  space  broken 
bottles  and  crockery  of  every  description  are  placed. 

The  ordinary  burial  places,  like  those  mentioned  about 
Ambriz,  are  merely  mounds  of  earth  or  stones,  with  a 
stick  to  mark  the  grave  of  a  man,  and  a  basket  that  of 
a  woman ;  and  sometimes  a  slab  of  rock  is  stuck  upright 
in  the  ground  to  indicate  the  head  of  the  grave.  Occa- 
sionally, in  the  case  of  a  big  *-soba,"  there  are  several 
tiers  of  earth  raised  one  above  the  other,  and  ornamented 
with  broken  glass  and  crockery  and  various  figures  repre- 
senting '•  fetishes,"  and  I  have  also  seen  a  shade  of  sticks 
and  grass  erected  over  the  whole,  to  keep  it  from  the 
rain. 


318  ANGOJ.A  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO, 

The  ''  Salale "  or  "  white  ant,"  as  the  larva  of  quite  a 
small  black  ant  is  called,  is,  from  its  numbers  and  the 
ravages  it  commits,  a  very  important  insect,  and  merits 
some  notice.  It  is  most  abundant  in  the  interior,  where 
the  soil,  from  the  decomposition  of  the  clay  and  mica 
slate,  is  more  earthy  or  clayey,  as  it  is  not  fond 
of  rocky,  stony,  or  sandy  ground  unless  it  is  very  ferru- 
ginous. Tlieir  nests  are  sometimes  large,  pointed 
masses  of  earth  three  and  four  feet  high,  and  as  many  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  internally  tunneled  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  swarming  with  ants,  eggs,  and  larvae;  but  the 
usual  nests  are  about  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  high,  like 
a  gigantic  mushroom,  with  from  one  to  six  round  curved 
heads  placed  one  on  top  of  the  other  (Plate  XVI.).  These 
nests  are  very  hard,  and  the  exceedingly  fine  earth  or  clay 
of  which  they  are  made  must  be  mixed  with  some  gummy 
secretion,  by  means  of  which  it  becomes  so  hard  on 
drying. 

My  cook  at  Cambambe  was  very  clever  at  making 
small  dome-shaped  ovens  from  old  ants'  nests,  which  he 
ground  fine  and  mixed  to  a  thick  paste  or  mortar.  When 
the  oven  was  dry  (nothing  else  being  used  in  building  it 
but  this  mortar),  he  lit  a  fire  in  it,  and  it  burnt  to  almost 
the  hardness  of  stone,  and  without  a  crack  or  flaw  in  it ; 
it  was  then  ready  for  use,  and  lasted  a  long  time.  These 
ovens  were  big  enough  to  bake  three  small  loaves  of  bread 
at  a  time. 

These  nests  are  sometimes  so  numerous,  particularly  in 
the  grassy  plains  of  the  interior,  as  to  render  walking 
difficult  in  many  places,  and,  when  the  grass  has  been 
burnt  off,  they  give  a  very  peculiar  appearance  to  the 
surface,  looking  something  like  a  field  of  brown  cauli- 
flowers. They  are,  like  the  larger  ones,  perforated  with 
galleries  in  every  direction,  and  also  full  of  ants  and 
larvae.  It  is  curious  that  considering  the  existence  of 
the  countless  millions  of  these  ants  over  large  areas  of 
country,  no  bird,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  rare 
Manis  muUiscutata,  no  animal,  should  be  found  to  feed 
on  them.     This  animal  is  something  like  an  armadillo, 


Peiupasus  spirifex  and  nest. — Devil  of  the  Road. — Dasylus  sp.— Caierpillars'  nosts. — Mantis  and 
nest. — Munis  multiscuiatum  and  Ants'  nosts.  /oce  page  318. 


WHITE  ANT.  .".19 


with  a  long  tail,  and  covered  with  large,  hard,  long  scales 
(Plate  XVI).  Specimens  are  sold  at  Loanda  and  elsewhere, 
and  used  as  "  fetishes  "  by  the  natives.  A  species  of  the 
"  ant-bear,"  apparently  the  same  as  that  found  at  the  Cape, 
is  not  uncommon  in  Benguella,  but  I  have  seen  its  burrows 
in  situations  near  tlie  sea,  in  salt,  dusty  plains,  &c.,  where 
very  little  or  no  *'  Salale  "  is  found,  and  from  examination 
of  the  dung,  I  found  that  its  food  must  consist  prin- 
cipally of  small  lizards  and  larvce  of  insects,  and  beetles, 
especially  the  Psammodes  ohlonr/a,  Dej.,  so  extremely 
abundant  in  its  haunts. 

The  natives  of  Benguella  say  there  are  two  kinds, 
one  very  much  larger  than  the  other.  I  once  tasted  a 
roasted  leg  of  the  ant-bear,  called  "  Jimbo"  by  the  natives, 
and  its  flavour  was  very  much  like  pork. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  white  ant  is  most 
destructive  to  timber  and  woodwork  of  every  description, 
as  well  as  to  all  clothes  and  fabrics.  Nothing  comes  amiss 
to  its  insatiable  jaws,  with  the  exception  of  metal  and 
some  very  few  woods,  (xoods,  provisions,  &c.,  must  be  kept 
on  tables  or  frames  built  on  wooden  legs,  as  if  placed  on 
the  ground  they  would  quickly  be  destroyed ;  but  even 
then  care  must  be  taken  to  examine  the  legs  or  supports 
of  the  frames  every  day,  as  they  will  run  up  the^^e  in 
search  of  the  good  things  on  the  top.  The  white  ant 
is  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  juid  its  body  is  very 
soft  and  white,  but  with  a  black  head  provided  with  most 
powerful  jaws  for  so  small  a  creature. 

It  never  ventures  into  the  light,  and  when  it  leaves  the 
shelter  of  the  ground  always  protects  itself  by  building  a 
flattened  tube  of  earth  or  sand  as  it  goes  along;  it  will 
carry  this  tube  up  a  wall  to  reach  a  window-sill  or  other 
woodwork,  or  riglit  up  to  the  roof  timbers.  Any  object 
left  for  a  little  time  on  the  ground,  particularly  in  a  closed 
or  dark  store,  is  quickly  covered  over  with  earth,  and  then 
completely  eaten  away.  I  have  known  a  pair  of  shoes 
thus  covered  in  one  night,  and  the  thread,  being  the  softest 
part,  devoured,  so  that  the  leathers  came  apart  at  the 
seams  when  they  were  lifted. 


320  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

I  once  left  a  trunk  full  of  clothes  at  Loanda  wLilst  I 
^vas  away  for  about  a  month  on  an  excursion  inland.  AVhen 
I  returned  the  trunk  seemed  all  right,  but  on  opening 
it  I  found  that  a  black  cloth  coat  I  had  laid  at  the 
top  was  at  the  bottom,  and  under  it  about  a  couple  of 
handsful  of  dust  Avas  all  that  remained  of  my  boxful  of 
clothes. 

Window  or  door-frames  I  have  seen  completely  eaten 
away  from  the  walls,  leaving  only  a  thin  covering  often 
not  thicker  than  a  sheet  of  brown  paper,  or  little  more 
than  the  thickness  of  the  paint. 

Whilst  lying  awake  one  night,  I  noticed  a  peculiar 
thrumming  noise  made  by  the  white  ant  when  manufac- 
turing a  tube  up  the  wall  near  my  bedside.  In  the 
morning  I  carefully  peeled  off  the  top  of  the  tube  with 
a  penknife,  just  suificiently  to  observe  the  motions  of  the 
little  masons  within,  and  I  saw  a  string  of  larvae  coming 
up  loaded  witli  little  pellets  of  clay,  which  they  delivered 
to  others  at  the  top,  who  simultaneously,  and  at  intervals 
of  four  or  five  seconds,  patted  them  down,  thus  producing 
the  noise  I  had  heard.  This  noise  can  be  very  plainly 
heard  if  the  larvae  are  working  on  the  "loandos"  or 
mats  with  which  the  huts  or  stick-houses  are  covered. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  rainy  season  the  Avhite  ant 
attains  its  perfect  form,  and  on  a  still,  warm  evening, 
generally  after  a  shower  of  rain,  a  wonderful  sight  pre- 
sents itself  when  the  perfect  winged  insects  issue  forth  in 
countless  myriads  from  the  ground.  This  is  everywhere 
i'ull  of  little  holes,  about  the  size  of  a  goose-quill,  from 
which  the  ants  are  forcing  their  way  out,  not  singly,  but 
in  a  solid  compact  body  or  stream.  They  instantly  take 
wing  and  rise  uj)wards  for  about  six  to  twelve  feet,  when 
the  breeze  wafts  them  about  in  every  direction.  The  air 
becomes  so  full  of  these  ants,  that  a  mist  seems  to  hang 
over  the  ground,  and  I  have  seen  the  whole  of  the  bottom 
of  the  valley  at  Bembe  completely  enshrouded  by  them. 
Great  is  the  feast  of  birds  and  animals  at  this  time..  Birds 
of  all  kinds  are  attracted  by  the  sight  and  collect  in 
numbers,  flying  low,  and  gorging  themselves  with  them. 


WHITE  ANT.  321 


I  have  shot  hawks  and  eagles  with  their  crops  full  to  their 
beaks.  Poultry  eat  them  till  they  go  about  with  their 
beaks  open,  unable  to  find  room  lor  any  more.  Several 
tame  monkeys  I  had  at  Bembe  used  to  sit  on  the 
ground,  and,  taking  pinches  of  the  ants  as  they  issued 
from  their  holes,  bite  off  the  succulent  bodies  and  throw 
away  the  wings. 

On  our  last  journey  to  Bembe  my  wife  was  very  much 
amused  to  see  two  little  children  come  out  of  a  hut,  each 
with  a  slice  of  **  quiquanga,"  and  sitting  down  on  the 
ground  close  by  an  ant-hole,  proceed  to  take  pinches  of 
the  ants  (exactly  as  I  have  described  the  monkeys  as 
doing),  and  eat  them  as  a  relish  to  their  "  quiquanga." 

After  rising  in  the  air  for  a  very  little  whde,  the  ants 
quickly  fall,  lose  their  wings,  and  disappear  in  the  ground, 
leaving  it  covered  with  the  pretty,  delicate,  transparent 
Avings.  These  lie  so  thickly  that  a  handful  can  easily  be 
collected  together.  This  will  give  some  idea  of  the  num- 
ber of  these  destructive  pests,  which  Nature  seems  to 
provide  with  wings  simply  to  enable  them  to  spread  about 
and  form  new  colonies.  It  is  very  fortunate  that  they 
do  not  attack  live  plants  or  roots.  These  soft,  delicate 
little  mites  doubtless  play  an  important  part  in  Nature's 
most  wonderful  plan  for  the  balance  of  life  by  quickly 
destroying  all  dead  timber  and  other  vegetable  matter  that 
the  quick  growing  and  ever  luxuriant  vegetation  would 
otherwise  soon  completely  cover,  thereby  choking  up  the 
surface  of  the  country.  These  ants  do  not  wait  for  the 
fall  of  a  dead  tree,  or  even  a  branch,  for  they  will  find  the 
latter  out,  and  carrying  their  earthen  tube  up  the  tree 
quickly  consume  the  rotten  limb.  I  do  not  know  how 
intelligence  of  a  likely  morsel  is  conveyed  to  the  larvai 
underground,  but  it  is  most  likely  carried  by  the  ants. 
They  will  construct  four  or  five  feet  of  tube  up  a  wall  in 
one  night,  straight  to  a  coat  or  any  other  object  that  may 
be  hanging  up ;  they  will  also  come  through  a  wall,  in 
which  they  have  bored,  exactly  behind  anything  placed  / 
against  it  that  may  be  likely  food  for  their  jaws. 

There  are  many  other  species  of  ants  in  Angola ;  one 

Y 


322  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 


very  large  black  kind  migrates  in  columns  of  perhaps 
eight  to  ten  abreast,  and  as  much  as  ten  or  twelve  yards 
in  length ;  they  walk  very  fast,  and  do  not  deviate  Ironi 
their  intended  path  unless  compelled  to  do  so  by  an 
impassable  obstacle. 

On  touching  one  of  these  columns  with  a  stick,  a  curious 
fizzing  noise  is  produced,  which  is  communicated  to  the 
whole  body,  and  they  instantly  open  out  in  all  directions 
in  search  of  the  supposed  enemy ;  after  a  great  deal  of 
running  backwards  and  forwards  with  their  powerful  hooked 
mandibles  open  and  upraised,  they  again  collect  and  fall 
into  a  column  and  proceed  on  their  way. 

I  remember  a  laughable  incident  that  happened  at  a 
/?mall  town  on  the  road  to  Bembe,  wdiere  I  once  put  up  for 
the  night.  Some  of  my  carriers  had  gone  to  sleep  in  a 
hilt,  and  towards  morning  I  was  awakened  by  screams  and 
shouts,  and  saw  a  number  of  these  blacks  coming  pell-mell 
out  of  it,  dancing,  jumping,  and  running  about  like  mad. 
All  the  town  was  alarmed,  and  the  natives  came  running 
out  of  their  huts  to  ascertain  what  was  the  matter.  I  had 
hardly  got  on  my  feet  when  the  cries  were  mixed  with 
peals  of  laughter,  they  having  quickly  found  out  the  cause 
of  the  terrific  uproar. 

It  was  nothing  else  than  a  column  of  these  ants  that 
had  passed  through  the  hut  and  had  instantly  fastened 
on  the  bodies  of  the  sleeping  blacks  with  whiL-h.  it  was 
filled.  They  fasten  their  great  jaws  into  the  skin  so  tightly, 
that  their  bodies  can  be  pulled  oil'  their  heads  without 
relaxing  their  hold.  The  mandibles  must  discharge  a 
poisonous  fluid  into  the  wound,  as  their  bite  feels  exactly 
like  a  sharp  puncture  from  a  red-hot  needle,  and  they 
always  draw  blood. 

I  once  unconsciously  put  my  foot  upon  a  column,  but 
luckily  only  three  or  four  fastened  on  my  ankle  and  leg, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  sudden  and  sharp  hot  bite  of 
the  wretches. 

There  is  another  kind  very  abundant  on  bushes  and 
trees,  of  a  semi-transparent  watery-red  colour,  with  long 
legs ;  their  bite  is  also  very  sharp.     They  build  nests  by 


WASPS,  323 


attaching  the  leaves  together  with  fine  white  web ;  these 
nests  are  from  the  size  of  an  apple  to  that  of  a  hat. 

Their  food  must  be  principally  the  frnit  and  seeds  of 
the  plants  they  are  usually  found  on.  Some  seeds,  par- 
ticularly those  of  the  india-rubber  creeper,  I  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  obtaining  ripe,  from  tliese  ants  eating 
them  up  whilst  green. 

A  minute  red  ant,  like  that  which  infests  our  kitchens 
and  houses,  is  extremely  abundant,  and  is  very  difificult  to 
keep  out  of  sugar  and  other  provisions ;  the  best  way  is  to 
place  the  legs  of  the  table  in  saucers  of  vinegar  and  water, 
or  have  safes  suspended  by  a  rope,  which  must  be  tarred^ 
or  they  will  find  their  way  down.  If  anything  op  which 
they  are  swarming  is  placed  in  the  sun,  they  immediately 
vanish.  A  small  piece  of  camphor,  tied  up  in  a  bit  of  rag 
and  placed  in  a  sugar-basin  or  safe,  will  effectually  keep 
them  out  without  flavouring  the  sugar,  &c.,  in  the  least. 

The  best  and  cheapest  preventive  against  the  white  ant 
is  ordinary  petroleum ;  they  will  not  come  near  a  place 
where  the  least  trace  of  its  smell  exists. 

Of  otlier  insects  the  most  abundant  and  worthy  of  note, 
besides  the  mosquitoes  already  described,  are  the  many 
species  of  wasps.  One  of  these,  brightly  barred  with 
yellow  and  having  a  comical  habit  of  dropping  down  its 
long  legs  in  a  bunch  straight  under  its  body  as  it  flies, 
is  the  Pelopoeus  sjpirifex  (Plate  XVI.) — (called  **  marim- 
bondo  "  by  the  natives) — and  is  one  of  the  large  family 
found  in  the  tropics  and  called  **  mud-daubers  "  from  their 
habit  of  making  clay  or  mud  nests  in  which  they  store 
up  spiders  and  caterpillars  as  provision  for  the  grubs  or 
larvae.  It  is  a  very  singular  fact  that  of  the  fifty  or  sixty 
species  known  to  entomologists,  all  are  male',  the  females 
not  having  yet  been  discovered.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
latter  are  parasites  on  other  insects,  or  perhaps  in  ants* 
nests,  &c.  I  have  opened  many  hundreds  of  the  clay 
cells  and  invariably  found  a  grub  or  perfect  male  insect, 
or  the  empty  chrysalis  of  one ;  and  I  further  ascertained 
that  the  male  insect  does  not  bring  the  female  in  its  legs 
or  mouth  to  lay  the  egg  in  the  cell,  nor  does  he  bring  the 

Y  2 


324  ANGOLA  AND  THE  RIVER  CONGO. 

egg,  but  the  young,  hatched  grub.  I  watched  one  nest 
being  built,  and  when  it  was  ready,  I  saw  the  insect  fly 
away  and  return  and  go  into  it,  and  on  examination  I 
found  that  it  had  deposited  the  small  grub  at  the  bottom. 
In  its  next  journeys  it  brought  spiders  till  the  cell  was 
full  of  them,  when  it  procured  some  clay  and  quickly 
plastered  over  the  aperture.  To  procure  the  spiders  it 
first  stabs  them  with  its  dreadful  sting,  and  then  picks 
them  up  and  flies  away  with  them  to  its  nest. 

Whilst  at  Bembe,  I  fortunately  witnessed  a  fight  between 
a  large  specimen  of  these  wasps  and  a  powerful  spider  which 
had  bnilt  its  fine  web  on  my  office  wall.  The  spider  nearly 
had  the  wasp  enveloped  in  its  web  several  times,  and  by 
means  of  its  long  legs  prevented  the  wasp  from  reaching 
its  body  with  its  sting,  but  at  last,  after  a  few  minutes 
hard  fighting,  the  wasp  managed  to  stab  the  spider  right 
in  the  abdomen,  when  it  instantly  curled  up  its  legs  and 
dropped  like  dead  to  the  ground.  The  wasp  pounced 
down  on  it,  but  I  interfered,  and  picking  up  the  spider 
placed  it  under  a  tumbler  to  ascertain  how  long  it  would 
live,  as  I  had  noticed  that  the  spiders  stored  in  the  nests 
were  always  alive,  although  unable  to  drawl  away  when 
taken  out.  It  lived  for  a  week,  and,  although  moving  its 
legs  when  touched,  had  no  power  of  locomotion,  showing 
that  the  poison  of  the  wasp  has  a  strong  paralysing  effect. 
I  have  counted  as  many  as  twenty  spiders  in  a  single  cell, 
and  there  are  seldom  less  than  three  cells  together,  and 
sometimes  as  many  as  eight  or  ten. 

These  wasps  are  fond  of  building  their  nests  in  the 
houses,  on  curtains,  behind  picture-frames,  books,  or  fur- 
niture, and  I  once  found  the  inside  of  a  harmonium  full  of 
them.  Each  cell  is  about  the  size  of  a  thimble ;  they  are 
very  smoothly  and  prettily  made,  and  a  wasp  will  build 
one  in  a  day  easily.  I  never  found  anything  else  in  these 
cells  but  spiders  and  caterpillars. 

It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  these  savage  destroyers 
of  spiders  have  in  their  turn  enemies  from  which  they 
have  no  escape.  These  are  large,  long-bodied,  brown  flies 
(Dasijlus  sp.  and  Basijpogon  sp.)  (Plate  XVI.)  with  long 


WASPS.  325 


legs  and  a  very  quiet  inoffensive  look  and  manner  of  flying. 
They  settle  on  the  backs  of  the  different  species  of  wasps, 
their  long  legs  enabling  them  to  keep  at  such  a  distance 
that  the  wasp  cannot  reach  them  with  its  sting,  then  insert 
a  long  sharp  proboscis  into  the  wasp's  back  and  suck  its 
body  dry,  Avhen  they  fly  off  in  search  of  another.  Other 
beautiful  flies  of  splendent  metallic  colouring  {Stilbum  sp.) 
also  prey  on  the  wasps  and  mud-daubers.  These  flies  again 
are  an  easy  prey  to  the  numerous  insectivorous  birds,  and 
thus  we  get  a  series  of  links  of  the  complicated  chain  of 
the  apparently  somewhat  cruel  law  of  Nature,  by  means  of 
which  the  due  proportion  of  animal  life  would  appear  to 
be  principally  adjusted,  and  an  undue  preponderance  of 
one  kind  over  another  prevented. 

On  the  stems  of  the  high  grass  may  very  often  be  seen 
little  round  nests  about  the  size  of  a  hen's  e^^,  having  the 
appearance  of  rough  glazed  paper,  and  made  by  the  dif- 
ferent species  of  Mantis  (Plate  XVI.).  These  nests  are 
applied  by  the  black  women  to  an  odd  use ;  they  rub  the 
soles  of  their  children's  feet  with  them  in  the  belief  that 
it  will  make  them  good  walkers  when  they  grow  up, 
and  I  have  often  seen  the  little  brats  struggling  and 
yelling  in  their  mothers'  laps  whilst  being  thus  tickled. 

A  large  species  of  wasp  {Synagris  cornuta)  is  called 
the  "  devil  of  the  road  "  by  the  natives,  from  the  alleged 
poisonous  character  of  its  bite  and  sting.  It  is  a  ferocious 
looking  creature  with  very  large  and  powerful  mandibles 
(Plate  XVI.).  It  is  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  and  is  said  to 
have  a  habit  of  settling  on  the  paths :  hence  its  name,  and 
the  natives  then  always  give  it  a  wide  berth. 

The  sting  of  this  class  of  insect  is  poisonous.  One  very 
small  species  once  stung  me  in  the  back  of  the  neck,  and 
it  was  greatly  swollen  for  several  hours ;  and  I  have  seen  a 
black  who  had  been  stung  in  the  ear  by  a  moderate  sized 
one,  with  not  only  his  ear  but  the  side  of  his  face  very 
much  swollen  for  a  couple  of  days. 

Centipedes  are  very  abundant,  but  their  bite  is  not  dan- 
gerous. I  was  bitten  by  one  in  the  shoulder  whilst  asleep, 
and  on  awaking,  and  putting  my  hand  instinctively  to  the 


326  ANGOLA  AND  THE  TtlVER  CONGO, 

place,  I  was  bitten  a  second  tirae  in  the  wrist,  and  al- 
thongh  it  was  a  large  specimen,  leyond  the  sharp  pnnctnre 
and  considerable  irritation  near  the  spots,  no  other  ill 
effect  was  produced.  Whilst  I  was  at  Bembe  a  Por- 
tuguese officer  was  bitten  between  the  fingers,  and  his 
hand  and  arm  as  far  as  the  shoulder  were  swollen  slightly 
for  two  or  three  days,  but  without  much  pain. 

Many  of  the  caterpillars  are  very  gorgeously  coloured 
and  fancifully  ornamented  with  tufts  of  hair,  but  generally 
the  moths  and  butterflies  are  of  a  more  dull  and  sombre 
colouring  than  might  be  expected  from  the  tropical  lati- 
tude of  Angola.  Insect  life  as  a  rule  is  scarce,  with  the 
exception  of  ants  and  mosquitoes,  and  not  only  very  local 
in  its  occurrence  but  also  confined  to  a  short  space  of  time. 
Hardly  an  insect  of  any  kind  is  to  be  seen  in  the  "  ca- 
cimbo,"  and  in  the  hot  season  the  different  species  of  but- 
terflies only  appear  for  a  very  few  weeks,  and  sometimes 
only  days.  Beetles  are  remarkably  scarce  at  any  time. 
The  finest  butterflies  are,  of  course,  found  in  the  forest 
region  of  the  first  and  second  elevation,  and  almost  exclu- 
sively in  the  places  most  deeply  shaded,  where  they  flit 
about  near  the  ground  between  the  trees.  The  sunny  open 
places  full  of  flowering  plants  are  not  so  much  frequented 
by  butterflies  as  might  be  expected,  but  the  great  abun- 
dance of  insectivorous  birds  may  possibly  supply  an 
explanation  of  this  circumstance. 

The  following  interesting  note  on  the  butterflies  of  An- 
gola has  been  kindly  written  by  my  friend,  Mr.  W.  C. 
Hewitson,  so  well  known  from  his  magnificent  collection, 
and  his  beautiful  work  on  '  Exotic  Butterflies ' : — 

"  Until  very  recently  we  knew  nothing  of  the  butterflies 
of  Angola,  and  very  little  of  those  of  Africa  north  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  except  what  we  could  learn  from  the 
plates  of  Drury.  The  great  genus  llomaleosoma,  so  pecu- 
liar to  that  country,  and  remarkable  foi  its  rich  colour, 
rivalling  even  Agrias  of  America,  was  only  represented  in 
the  British  Museum.  Now  we  Irave  them  in  abundance, 
and  several  species  are  plentiful  in  Angola. 

"  We  have  had   large   collections  from   that   country 


BUTTERFLIES.  327 


during  tlio  last  two  years  from  Mr.  Rogers,  a  collector 
sent  out  by  me,  and  from  Mr.  Monteiro,  who,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  wife,  caught  and  brought  home  a  fine 
collection  of  Lcpidoptera. 

"  With  the  first  collections  of  Mr.  Rogers,  made  on  the 
banks  of  the  Riyer  Quanza,  I  was  greatly  disappointed. 
With  a  very  few  exceptions  they  contained  those  butter- 
flies oidy  which  we  had  preyiously  received  in  abundance 
j'rom  tlie  Cape  and  from  Natal.  A  collection  from  the 
mountainous  district  of  Casengo  was  much  more  promising, 
and  supplied  us,  together  with  some  new  species,  with 
several  varieties  little  known  before,  amongst  them  Clia- 
raxes  Anticlea  and  Harma  JVestermanni. 

"  Mr.  Monteiro's  collection,  though  also  deficient  in  new 
species,  contained  seyeral  of  great  value,  and  only  recently 
discovered — Godartia  Trajanus,  so  remarkable  for  its 
nearly  circular  wings,  whicli  had  been  preyiously  taken  by 
Mr.  Crossley  on  the  Oameroons ;  the  rare  Charaxes  Lysia- 
nassa,  figured  by  Professor  Westwood  in  his  '  Thesaurus ;' 
Charaxts  Bohemani,  which  we  had  previously  received  from 
the  Zambesi ;  the  very  beautiful  Crenis  Benguella,  described 
by  iVIr.  Chapman ;  and  a  number  of  varieties  oi'  Acrsea  Euryta, 
and  the  Diademas,  which  so  closely  resemble  them. 

"The  mo?t  remarkable  new  species  in  the  collection 
was  the  large  Euryphene  FUsfonax,  since  figured  in  the 
'  Exotic  Butterflies.' 

"  It  is  interesting  to  learn  that  the  same  species  of 
butterflies  are  in  x\frica  spread  over  a  very  large  extent  of 
counfry.  The  distance  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 
Angola  is  1400  miles.  Seyeral  new  species  which  I  have 
had  I'rom  the  West  Coast  have  been  received  by  Mr.  Ward 
i'rom  Zanzibar,  a  distance  of  36  degrees.  Two  new  species 
of  Papilio,  remarkable  because  unlike  anything  previously 
seen  from  Africa,  which  I  had  received  from  Bonny,  were 
very  soon  afterwards  sent  to  Mr.  Ward  from  Zanzibar." 

Mr.  H.  Druce  has  published  a  list  of  the  butterflies  we 
collected  in  the  *  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological  Society  ' 
feu-  1875. 

Several  caterpillars  form  yery  curious  nests  or  houses 


S28  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

to  protect  their  bodies.  One  is  made  of  bits  of  twig 
about  an  inch  and  a  Imlf  long,  attached  round  a  strong 
cocoon  or  web  (Plate  XVI.) ;  the  head  and  front  legs  alone 
are  protruded  at  will,  which  enables  the  insect  to  walk 
about  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaves  on  which  it  feeds. 
Another  is  built  up  on  the  same  plan,  but  the  bits  of  tvvig 
are  short  and  laid  across  the  lengtli  of  tlie  cocoon,  and 
the  whole  enveloped  in  a  strong  white  web  (Plate  XVI.). 

The  coast  of  Angola  has  never  to  my  knowledge  been 
dredged  for  shells.  The  surf  grinds  and  destroys  any  that 
may  be  thrown  up  on  the  beach,  but  as  this  is  almost 
everywhere  sandy  and  very  slightly  shelving  from  the  land, 
dredging  would  probably  prove  its  fauna  to  be  rich.  Land 
and  fresh-water  shells  are  rare. 

I  have  seen  land  tortoises  at  Eenguella  and  Musserra 
only,  and  they  appear  to  be  confined  to  the  gneiss  and 
granite  rocks  of  those  two  places.  They  are  only  found 
in  the  hot  season,  and  according  to  the  natives  they 
hybernate  in  holes  in  the  rock  during  the  **cacimbo." 
The  natives  eat  them,  so  that  it  is  not  easy  to  obtain  live 
specimens.  Two  that  I  brought  home  from  Musserra  lived 
for  some  time  at  the  gardens  of  the  Zoological  Society, 
and  were  described  by  Dr.  Sclater  as  the  Cinixys  erosa 
and  the  Cinixys  helliana  (Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  1871). 

Porcupines  are  not  uncommon,  and  I  often  found  their 
quills  lying  on  the  ground.  The  natives  are  fond  of  the 
ilesh  of  this  pretty  animal ;  they  are  also  fond  of  sticking 
the  quills  in  the  wool  of  their  heads  as  an  ornament,  but  they 
have  no  acquaintance  with  the  story  of  their  being  able  to 
project  their  quills  when  angry,  or  as  a  means  of  defence. 

Fruits  are  by  no  means  so  abundant  in  Angola  as  they 
might  be.  It  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that  the 
Portuguese  have  followed  the  good  example  of  the  old 
missionaries  in  planting  fruit-trees.  Most  of  the  European 
fruit-trees  grow  remarkably  well.  Oranges  are  of  delicious 
quality.  Mulberries  bear  most  abundantly,  but  only  a 
very  few  trees  are  to  be  seen.  Limes  grow  wild  in  many 
places.  Mangoes  {Mangifera  Indica)  grow  splendidly,  b,ut 
are  scarce  everywhere  except  about  the  Eengo  country; 


FRUITS,    SCENTS.  329 


there  are  none  on  the  Quanza,  the  natives  having  a  pre- 
judice against  planting  the  tree,  as  tliey  believe  it  would 
be  unlucky.  Sweet  and  sour  Sop  {Anona  sp.)  and  Papaw 
(Carica  Papaya)  are  very  common.  The  Guava  (Fsidium 
Guaiava)  grows  wild  in  abundance  in  many  places,  and 
Ihe  Araya,  another  species  (P.  Ara(}a)  is  also  cultivated. 
Tlie  Jam  bo  (Jamhosa  vulgaris)  is  found  growing  wild,  and, 
although  rather  insipid,  it  has  a  delicious  scent  of  attar  of 
roses.  The  "  jMunguengue "  is  the  name  of  a  tree  (a 
species  oi  Spondiacese)  bearing  bunches  of  yellow  plum-like 
iruit  of  a  very  delicious  flavour  and  scent,  and  its  pulp 
mixed  with  water  and  sugar  makes  one  of  the  nicest 
drinks  I  have  tasted.  It  is  a  very  handsome  tree  with 
leaves  of  a  bright,  spring  green,  of  which  goats,  sheep,  and 
other  animals  are  exceedingly  fond.  The  wood  is  sott  and 
useless  for  carpentry,  but  the  branches  are  much  used  for 
fences  round  huts  and  enclosures,  as  any  piece  stuck  in 
the  ground  quickly  takes  root,  and  soon  grows  into  a  fine 
shady  tree.  The  natives  on  the  coast  eat  the  fruit  of  the 
Chrysobolamus  Icaca,  var."  which  they  call  "Jingimo"; 
it  is  like  a  round,  black-purple  plum,  tasteless  and  astrin- 
gent. It  is  a  common  sea-side  plant,  covering  large 
stretches  of  coast  and  growing  from  large  trailing  masses 
a  few  inches  liigh,  to  small  bushy  trees.  It  has  a  round, 
bright,  shiny,  green  leaf.  Pineapples  are  generally  very 
fine,  and  might  be  grown  to  any  extent.  Grapes  and  figs 
are  sparingly  grown,  but  bear  well. 

The  only  plants  employed  by  the  natives  as  scents  are 
the  seeds  of  the  Hibiscus  Ahelmoschus,  smelling  strongly 
of  musk,  and  a  very  sweet-smelling  wood.  These  they 
keep  in  their  boxes  with  their  cloths,  &c.,  and  also  rub 
them  over  the  head  and  body.  The  natives  from  the 
interior  also  rub  themselves  over  with  a  stinking  nut 
something  like  an  acorn,  with  a  powerful  smell  like  rotten 
onions.  These  are  brought  to  the  coast  for  sale  to  the 
natives  of  Ambriz.  On  my  asking  one  of  them  how  he 
could  bear  to  rub  his  body  with  such  a  bad- smelling  sub- 
stance, he  answered  by  another  question,  "Do  not  you 
whites  use  Eau-de-Cologne  ?  " 


330  ANGOLA  AND  THE  BIVER  CONGO. 

The  blacks  also  use  the  skin  of  the  musk  or  civet-cat, 
which  is  very  common  in  the  interior,  to  scent  their  cloths 
and  bodies.  The  smell  of  this  animal  is  so  powerful  that 
the  clothes  of  a  person  passing  through  grass  where  one 
has  previously  been,  acquire  such  a  strong  smell  of  musk 
as  to  retain  it  perceptibly  for  days. 

Angola  is  poor  in  dyes,  and  only  a  few  are  employed  by 
the  blacks.  For  red  they  use  the  fresh  pulp  enveloping 
the  seeds  of  the  "  annatto "  {Bixa  Orellana) ;  for  yellow 
they  employ  yellow  ginger.  The  ^uissamas  and  some  of 
the  natives  on  the  River  Quanza  "dyB~thT?ir  cloths  of  a 
bluish-black  w^ith  the  black  mud  of  the  river,  mixed  with 
the  infusion  of  a  plant  that  I  believe  to  be  a  species  of  in- 
digo. Cloths  are  also  made  black  by  rubbing  them  with 
charred  ground-nuts  reduced  to  a  fine  paste,  and,  as  already 
mentioned,  a  fine  red  for  painting  their  faces,  bodies,  and 
houses,  is  obtained  by  rubbing  Tacula-wood  to  a  pulp 
with  water  on  a  rough  stone,  and  drying  the  resulting 
paste. 

Large  land  lizards  are  rare  except  at  Benguella,  where 
they  abound.  They  are  brown,  and  from  two  to  three  feet 
long.  I  tried  very  often  to  preserve  them  alive,  but  with- 
out success,  although  I  gave  them  every  kind  of  food  I 
could  think  of.  A  very  long  yellow-spotted  water  lizard 
{Monitor  Niloticus),  with  a  handsome  bead-like  pattern  on 
its  back  and  legs,  and  as  much  as  six  or  eight  feet  long,  is 
common  in  the  rivers,  and  is  said  to  be  very  destructive  to 
poultry.  The  natives  state  that  this  lizard  feeds  upon  the 
eggs  and  young  of  the  alligator. 

Snakes  are  nowhere  very  abundant — I  may  say  singu- 
larly scarce — and  in  the  years  that  I  have  travelled  in 
Angola  I  have  not  only  never  trodden  on  or  been  attacked 
by  one,  but  have  only  seen  them  a  very  few  tijnes.  The 
most  common  is  the  boa-constrictor,  but  only  in  the 
marshy  places  near  rivers.  In  these  the  River  Jack  (CIo- 
tho  nasicornis)  is  also  found ;  one  of  these  which  had  been 
caught  in  a  fish-basket  set  to  catch  "  Bagre  "  in  the  River 
Luqueia,  was  brought  alive  to  me  at  Bembe.  It  was  a 
very  fine  one  and  very  brilliantly  marked.    I  kept  it  in  a 


SPITTING  SNAKE.  331 

large  box  covered  with  wire-gauze.  It  lived  for  several 
months,  and  died  a  natural  death  shortly  after  shedding 
its  skin.  It  is  called  "Uta-maza"  (water-snake)  by  the 
natives,  and  is  held  in  the  greatest  fear  by  them,  its  bite 
being  said  to  be  deadly,  and  no  antidote  or  cure  for  it 
known.  I  can  well  believe  this  from  witnessing  the  effect 
of  its  bite  on  the  live  rats  with  which  I  fed  it. 

I  was  obliged  to  feed  it  on  live  rats,  as  it  refused  to  eat 
any  kind  of  animal  or  bird  that  it  had  not  itself  killed. 
If  I  placed  a  dead  rat  in  its  cage  witli  tlie  live  one,  I 
would  find  in  the  morning  it  had  swallowed  the  one  it 
had  killed,  but  had  left  the  dead  one.  On  placing  a  rat 
in  the  cage,  the  snake,  which  was  generally  coiled  up  in  a 
corner,  would  lift  up  its  head  and  hiss  slightly  at  the  rat, 
which  seemed  conscious  of  its  danger,  and  would  run  about 
seeking  for  some  means  of  escape.  The  snake  would  con- 
tinue to  watch  it  with  uplifted  head  till  it  passed  close 
enough,  when  it  would  suddenly  strike  it  a  blow  with  in- 
credible rapidity,  the  action  being  so  instantaneous  that  I 
could  never  see  how  the  fangs  were  projected  forwards,  or, 
in  fact,  how  the  blow  was  delivered.  The  poor  rat  would 
only  give  a  small  squeak  on  receiving  the  blow,  run  a 
few  paces,  then  stagger,  fall  on  its  side,  stretch  itself  out, 
and  die  after  a  few  feeble  convulsions. 

This  snake  would  never  make  more  than  one  dart  at  its 
prey,  and  would  only  swallow  it  at  night ;  and  although  I 
watched  it  for  hours  in  perfect  quiet,  and  with  a  shaded 
light,  I  never  succeeded  in  seeing  it  eat. 

There  is  a  dangerous  snake  (Naja  heje)  not  uncommon 
about  Benguella.  It  is  small  in  size,  but  remarkable  from 
its  habit  of  spitting  to  a  considerable  distance,  and  its 
saliva  is  said  to  blind  a  person  if  it  touches  the  eyes.  It 
is  called  '*  Cuspideira  "  by  the  Portuguese.  One  of  these 
snakes  was  captured  by  the  natives  and  brought  to  the 
mine  at  Cuio,  where  it  was  placed  in  a  cage.  An  English 
miner  was  standing  over  the  cage,  which  was  on  the  ground, 
teasing  the  snake  with  a  stick ;  when  it  spat  up  in  his 
face,  and  he  felt  some  of  the  liquid  enter  one  of  his  eyes. 
He  immediately  had  it  washed  out  with  water,  but  the 


332  ANGOLA  AND  TEE  BIVER  CONGO. 

eye  was  very  much  irritated  for  several  days  after.  I 
was  absent  at  the  time,  and  the  snake  was  uui'ortunately 
destroyed,  but  1  have  no  reason  for  doubting  the  miner's 
statement  or  that  of  his  companions,  corroborated  as  it  is 
by  that  of  the  natives  and  Portuguese.  A  harmless  snake 
is  found  under  floorings  of  houses  and  stores,  and  is  very 
useful  in  ridding  them  of  rats  and  mice. 

One  of  these  snakes  once  gave  me  considerable  trouble 
at  Loanda.  ]\Iy  bedroom  was  on  the  ground-floor  under 
an  office,  and  outside  my  door  was  the  staircase  leading 
to  it.  Every  morning,  just  a  little  before  daybreak,  I  used 
to  be  awakened  by  hearing  a  loud  crack  on  the  table  as 
if  made  by  a  blow  from  a  thick  .whip.  This  excited  my 
curiosity  greatly,  as  I  could  find  no  possible  explanation 
for  the  noise.  At  last  I  determined  to  be  on  tlie  watch. 
I  had  lucifers  and  a  candle  ready,  and  was  luckily  awake 
when  1  heard  the  noise  repeated  on  my  table.  I  instantly 
s'ruck  a  light,  and  saw  a  snake  about  six  feet  long  glide 
off  the  table  on  to  the  ground  and  quickly  disappear  in 
a  hole  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  I  then  ascertained  that 
Mr.  Snake  went  up  the  staircase  every  night  to  tlie  office 
above,  where  he  hunted  about  for  rats,  and  towards  morn- 
ing returned  through  a  hole  in  the  flooring  immediately 
above  my  table,  dropping  a  height  of  about  ten  feet,  and 
producing  the  whip-like  sound  that  had  so  perplexed 
me  for  many  nights.  A  bung  in  the  hole  in  the  floor 
above  stopped  his  return  that  way  for  the  future,  but  I 
could  not  help  being  thankful  that  my  bed  had  not  been 
placed  where  the  table  stood,  for,  notwithstanding  that  I 
believed  it  was  simply  a  harmless  and  inoffensive  rat- 
catcher, still  six  feet  of  cold  snake  wriggling  over  my 
face  and  body  might  not  have  been  quite  pleasant  in  the 
dark. 

We.  collected  a  number  of  sphynx  raotlis,  both  at 
Ambriz  and  on  the  road  to  Bembe.  At  Ambriz  they 
always  came  to  the  flow^ers  of  the  shrubby  jasmine  I  have 
described  as  being  so  abundant  near  the  coast  {Corrissa 
sj),)  Farther  inland  we  saw  them  flitting  about  only  on 
the  white  flowers  of  a  herbaceous  plant   (Gynandropsis 


SPHYNX  MOTHS.  333 


2)entaphi/lla,  D.C.),  a  yery  common  weed,  particularly 
around  the  towns  and  in  open,  cleared  spaces. 

A  large  scarabaeus  beetle  (which  my  friend,  Mr.  H.  W. 
Bates,  finds  to  be  a  new  species,  and  has  named  Ateuchus 
Angoleiisis)  is  very  abundant  wherever  cow-dung  is  found  ; 
and  it  is  amusing  to  see  them  at  work,  making  it  up  into 
balls  nearly  the  size  of  a  billiard-ball,  an  e^^^  having 
been  deposited  in  each.  Two  or  three  may  olten  be  seen 
pushing  the  ball  along  backwards — the  custom  of  these 
beetles  everywhere.  I  once  saw  a  curious  episode  at 
Ambriz; — one  beetle  was  on  the  top  of  a  ball  fussing 
about  as  if  directing  two  others  that  were  pushing  it  along 
with  all  tlieir  might ;  suddenly  he  came  down  and  com- 
menced fighting  with  one  of  them,  and  after  a  hard  tussle 
(during  which  they  made  quite  a  perceptible  hissing 
noise),  beat  him  off  and  took  his  place. 

I  discovered  at  Benguella  a  very  beautiful  lemur, 
named  by  Mr.  A.  D.  Bartlett  the  Galago  Monteiri,  and 
described  and  figured  in  the  '  Proceedings  of  the  Zoological 
Society  '  (June  1863).  It  is  of  a  light,  chinchilla-grey 
colour,  with  black  nose  and  ears,  and  dark  brown  feet  and 
toes.  This  animal  can  turn  back  and  crumple  up  its 
rather  large  and  long  ears  at  will.  Its  tail  is  long,  and, 
like  the  rest  of  the  body,  very  furry.  It  is  very  quiet 
and  gentle,  nocturnal  in  its  habits,  and  sleeps  much 
during  the  day.  The  natives  use  its  long,  fine  fur  to 
stanch  bleeding  from  cuts  or  wounds. 


C    334    ) 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CONCLUSION, 

I  HAVE  now  brought  to  a  close  ray  description  of  a  small 
portion  of  the  terra  incognita,  comparatively  speaking,  of 
Africa,  and  it  may  not  be  out  of  place,  in  conclusion,  to 
note  those  results  of  my  long  experience  in  Angola  that 
bear  on  the  important  questions  of  the  civilization  and 
mental  advancement  of  the  negro  race,  and  the  material 
development  of  Tropical  Africa. 

I  have  given  the  reasons  that  have  convinced  me  of 
the  rudimentary  quality  of  the  negro  intellect,  naturally 
correspondinof  to  the  peculiar  insensibility  of  his  organiza- 
tion, the  result  of  the  *'  Natural  Selection  "  that,  through 
perhaps  thousands  of  years  of  struggling  against  malaria, 
has  at  last  resulted  in  his  adaptability  to  inhabit  with  per- 
fect impunity  what  to  the  white  race  is  the  deadly,  un- 
healthy climate  of  a  great  part  of  Tropical  Africa.  I  have 
also  attempted  to  sliow  that  the  malignity  of  the  climate 
of  the  West  Coast  is,  as  I  believe,  principally  due  to  its  low 
level,  and  that  this  unhealthy  character  or  influence  is 
continued  in  many  places  far  inland,  although  perhaps 
resulting  from  other  canses. 

From  the  mental  constitution  of  the  race,  and  the  im- 
possibility of  ameliorating  the  climate,  I  can  see  no  hope 
of  the  negro  ever  attaining  to  any  considerable  degree  of 
civilization,  owing  to  his  incapacity  for  spontaneously 
developing  to  a  higher  or  more  pei-fect  condition,  and  the 
impossibility  of  the  white  race  peopling  his  country  in  suffi- 
cient numbers  to  enforce  his  civilization:  consequently, 
should  science  not  discover  a  means  for  the  successful^com- 
bating  of  the  African  climate,  the  negro  must  ever  remain 
as  he  has  always  been,  and  as  he  is  at  the  present  day. 


CONCLUSION.  335 


The  greatest  good  or  ijnpi'ovement  we  can  hope  for,  is, 
tliat  ill  the  comparatively  healthy  parts,  as  Angola  for 
instance,  the  more  barbarous  customs  or  habits  may  be 
abolished  by  the  more  intimate  contact  with  Europeans; 
but  even  this  gain  or  advantage  will  not  be  an  unmixed 
good,  as  it  will  be  (counterbalanced  by  the  creation  of  an 
amount  of  vice  and  immorality  unknown  to  the  negro  in 
his  native  or  unsophisticated  state. 

That  this  is  not  an  imaginary  result,  but  one  inevitably 
following  the  contact  of  tiie  white  race  with  one  of  so  in- 
ferior a  type  as  the  negro,  is  for  example  notably  evidenced 
at  Sierra  Leone.  The  contact  of  the  l*ortuguese  with 
the  natives  of  Angola,  however,  does  not  appear  to  have 
acted  so  prejudicially  as  ours  in  Sierra  Leone,  for  although 
there  is  not  much  difference  for  the  better  in  the  morals 
of  the  whites  or  of  the  civilized  natives,  the  latter  certainly 
have  not  the  astounding  impudence  and  cant  of  the  Sierra 
Leone  blacks.  It  is  true  that  in  Angola  the  natives  have 
not  been  muddled  by  the  present  style  of  missionary  work, 
which  I  am  sorry  to  say  is  not  only  nearly  useless,  but 
must  be  blamed  as  the  cause  of  the  above  very  objection- 
able characteristics.  It  does  seem  a  pity  that  so  much 
money  and  well-intentioned  zeal  should  for  so  many  years 
have  been  expended  on  the  negro  of  British  West  Africa 
with  an  almost  negative  result. 

There  is  more  hope  for  the  development  of  the  material 
resources  of  Tropical  Africa.  The  negro  is  capable  of  being 
acted  upon  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  desire  for  something 
more  than  the  absolute  necessaries  of  life,  to  satisfy  which 
he  is  willing  to  work  a  little.  The  country  is  so  exten- 
sive, and  the  soil  and  natural  productions  so  rich,  that  a 
very  little  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  piopulation  sufRces 
to  bring  forth  a  considerable  amount  of  produce;  but 
another  and  more  industrious  race  will  have  to  take  tlie 
place  of  the  negro  in  Africa  if  its  riches  and  capabilities 
are  to  be  fully  developed. 

The  introduction  ot  Coolies  and  Chinese  into  Tropical 
Africa  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  the  most  important  and 
valuable  step  that  could  be  devised.     The  starving  mil- 


33G  ANGOLA  AND  THE  MIVER  CONGO. 

lions  of  China  and  other  parts  pf  the  East  would  fiad  in 
Africa  a  congenial  climate,  and  a  bountiful  reward  for 
their  industry,  with  the  greatest  benefit  to  themselves 
and  the  rest  of  mankind.  Tlie  useless  negroes  would 
then  sooner  follow  their  apparent  fate  of  future  extinction, 
or  become  merged  into  a  more  highly  organized  and 
industrious  race. 

The  indefensible  injustice  and  cruelty  of  tlie  former 
slave-trade  has  created  a  wrong  impression  in  our  minds 
of  the  actual  condition  of  the  negro  in  Africa,  and,  based 
upon  this  false  idea,  our  sympathies  are  unduly  excited 
for  a  state  of  misery  and  wretchedness  tliat  in  reality  has 
no  existence.  Our  blind  philanthropists  crowd  to  hear 
the  stereotyped  tale  of  the  missionary  in  Africa,  and  the 
greatest  interest  is  taken  in  the  efforts  to  ameliorate  the 
assumed  unhappy  state  of  the  much-pitied  negro — who  is 
lying  in  perfect  enjoyment  and  nakedness  under  a  magni- 
ficent sky,  feurrounded  by  exquisite  scenery,  supplied  by 
nature  with  food  without  any  work  or  trouble,  and  in- 
sensible alike  to  physical  suffering  and  hardship,  or  mental 
worry  and  vexation.  Meantime  thousands  of  our  race  are 
plunged  into  hopeless  misery  and  suffering,  unpitied  and 
often  unrelieved  by  those  who  are  so  anxious  to  minister 
to  the  imaginary  wants  of  the  poor  heathen ! 

It  is  impossible  for  any  one  who  has  lived  much  amongst 
natives  of  tropical  climates  not  to  contrast  the  life  led  by 
them  with  that  endured  by  a  great  portion  of  our  own  so 
highly  civilized  race — to  compare  their,  as  a  rule,  harm- 
less, peaceful,  healthy,  and  I  may  say  sinless  existence, 
with  the  grinding,  despairing  poverty  of  our  cities ;  with 
the  awful  misery  that  hides  in  noisome  dens  under  a  cruel, 
rigorous  climate,  without  warmth,  air,  water,  or  food  ;  with 
the  constant  hopeless  toil  of  thousands  in  our  manufacturing 
districts,  and  the  frightful  barbarity,  ignorance,  and  vice 
underlying  our  civilization,  with  all  its  religions,  wealth, 
and  luxury.  We  spend  large  sums  in  the  fruitless  attempt 
to  reclaim  and  convert  the  negro  from  his  so-called  dark 
state,  and  we  allow  thousands  of  our  innocent  children  at 
home  to  grow  up  as  thieves  anl  worse  than  savages. 


CONCLUSION.  337 


It  is  lucky  tliat  the  negro  is  unaware  that  those  who  are 
so  anxious  tor  his  weltVire  and  conversion  i'rom  a  compara- 
tively innocent  condition,  come  from  a  countiy  where  a 
state  of  ferocity,  poverty,  and  vice  exists  of  which  he  has 
happily  no  conception,  or  it  wonld  make  him  look  npon 
us  with  horror  and  suiprise. 

Amonizst  the  pleasant  remembrances  of  tlio  years  I  have 
spent  ill  Angola,  the  hospitality  of  the  Portuguese  oltrm 
recurs.  jMauy  a  time  in  travelling  I  have  had  my  ham- 
mock hidden,  and  have  been  obliged  to  stay  for  two  or 
three  days  with  strangers,  in  all  bi^:  name,  or  friends 
perhaps  of  persons  I  knew  at  other  places.  At  any  time  of 
the  night  that  a  traveller  may  arrive,  he  is  made  wel  -ome, 
and  the  cook  is  instantly  told  to  prepare  coffee  or  kill  a 
fowl  and  make  a  "canga,"  as  fowl-soup  thick  with  rice, 
and  flavoured  with  ham,  &c.,  is  called. 

I  have  been  especially  grateful  to  the  officers  com- 
manding the  districts  in  the  interior,  and  to  all,  without 
exception,  whether  civilians  or  military,  that  I  have  met 
with  in  my  long  travels,  I  have  to  oiler  my  thanks  for 
thrir  great  kindness  and  hospitality — doubly  pleasing 
from  its  disinterestedness  and  spontaneity. 

I  have  hardly  alluded  to  tl»e  wonderful  safety  and 
absence  of  all  risk  or  danger  in  travelling  over  almost  any 
part  of  Angola,  espec'ally  in  those  parts  in  the  occupation 
of  the  Portuguese.  The  natives  are  everywhere  civil  if 
well  treated;  and  if  only  good  humour  exists  on  tlie  part 
of  the  traveller,  and  due  allowance  be  made  for  the  lazi- 
ness and  procrastination  of  the  negro,  no  great  inconve- 
nience need  ever  be  felt  in  going  anywhere  through  the 
country.  A  knowledge  of  Portuguese  is  of  course  almost 
essential,  as,  with  the  exception  of  some  places  on  the 
River  Congo,  and  as  far  south  of  it  as  Ambriz,  where  some 
of  the  natives  speak  English,  a  great  number  speak  only 
Portuguese  besides  their  own  lanuuage. 

Money  of  most  nations  passes  in  Angola,  the  English 
sovereign  being  perha{)S  the  most  useful  of  any,  and  at 
those  ] daces  where  goods  of  various  kinds  are  principally 
required  for  payments  of  cairiers,  provisions,  &c.,  they 

z 


338  ANGOLA  AND  THE  IIIVER  CONGO, 

can  be   readily   obtained   at   moderate    rates  from    the 
traders. 

I  have  now,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  described  the 
customs  and  productions  of  this  wonderful  and  beautiful 
country,  and  1  shall  be  glad  if  the  perusal  of  these  pages 
should  induce  others  to  explore  more  fully  the  rich  Held 
it  presents  to  the  naturalist  and  geographer. 


(    339     ) 


APPENDIX. 


The  habit  of  the  negro,  when  employing  European  lan- 
guages, of  using  an  absurd  and  inflated  style  is  well  known, 
and  I  cannot  help  attributing  this  peculiarity  to  the  effect 
of  the  specifically  constituted  mind  of  the  race.  The 
natives  of  Angola  are  no  exception  to  this  rule,  and  I 
have  often  been  amused  at  their  writings  in  Portuguese. 

I  cannot  better  illustrate  this  very  curious  characteristic 
than  by  transcribing  the  following  pamphlet,  written  by  a 
highly  educated  native  of  Sierra  Leone  : 

"  The  Athletic  Sjports  at  Falcon  Bridge  Battery,  Freetown, 
Sierra  Leone,  June  4,  1869,  graj^hicaUij  sketched. 

I  "  The  dull  monotony  of  the  city  was  revived  and  the  hearts 
of  the  denizens  exhilarated  by  the  celebration — under  the 
auspices  of  those  holding  the  reins  of  government  in  this 
settlement — of  athletic  games  at  the  above  period. 

"  A  grand  fepcctacle  indeed  it  was !  Countless  numbers  of 
persons  came  to  witness  this  magnificent  sight.  The  arena 
of  athletic  contention. — limited  by  boards  geometrically  con- 
structed, guarded  by  an  efficient  constabulary  corps,  not  less 
rotund  in  their  size  than  prodigious  in  their  height— was 
crowded,  almost  to  suffocation  by  those  who  were  voluntary 
to  signalize  themselves  by  their  feats.  The  mountain  was 
really  in  labour  and  brought  forth  no  ridiculous  mouse. 

"  The  time  for  the  commencement  of  the  games  was  fixed 
for  2  P.M.  If  recollection  fails  not,  so  it  was.  The  hilarity- 
evinced  by  the  spectators  reminded  one  of  ancient  Greece 
and  Eome ;  when,  in  the  leaps,  wrestles,  quoits,  &c.,  of  the 
former,  and  the  gladiatorial  combats,  &c.,  of  the  latter,  com- 
batants vied  with  each  other,  and  the  victors  were  amply 

z  2 


310  APPENDIX. 


remunerated ;  when  emulation  was  cultivated ;  when,  as  ex- 
pressed by  Thompson  in  his  '  Castle  of  Indolence ' — 

*  It  was  not  by  vile  loitering  at  ease. 
That  Greece  obtaiu'd  the  brightttr  palm  of  aii;. 
That  soft  yet  ardent  Athens  kaint  to  please. 
To  keen  the  >vit  and  to  sublime  the  heart ; 
III  all  supreme — complete  in  ov'ry  part — 
It  was  not  thence  majestic  Rome  arose, 
And  o'er  the  nations  shook  her  conqjing  dart.' 

Ancient  Olympia,  with  her  inhabitants,  would  have  rejoiced 
to  behold  8ucli  a  pleasing  scene. 

"  At  the  appointed  time  the  programme  was  followed, 
despite  the  absence  of  His  Excellency;  because  ' procrastina- 
tion is  the  thief  of  time.'  The  ringing  of  a  bell  announced 
the  beginning  of  every  race.  The  adroitness  of  the  athletes, 
combined  with  tlie  thought  of  there  being  some  who  equalled 
in  all  points  almost  the  notorious  Gogmagog  in  English 
histoiy,  were  things  akin  to  the  incredible.  The  scene  bad 
commenced,  but  two  sine  qua  nons  were  wanting.  A  lew 
moments  after,  one  appeared — viz.,  the  band  of  the  1st  West 
Indian  Zouaves,  Avhose  services  will  ever  be  remembered 
whilst  music  reverberates  its  harmonious  peals  throughout 
the  four  corners  of  this  stupendous  cosmos,  headed  by  one 
through  whom  music  wakes.  But  there  was  a  pause.  The 
pbiy  stood  in  need  of  a  coup  de  grace.  The  sports  were  a 
little  after  full  going,  when,  lo  I  His  excellency  was  kenned. 
His  arrival  to  the  spot  was  not  one  of  inactivity.  Seated 
gallantly  on  a  restive  hor.^e,  '  round- hoofed,  short-jointed, 
fetlocks  shag  and  long,  broad  breast,  full  eye,  small  head, 
high  crest,  short  ears,  straight  legs,  thin  mane,  thick  tall, 
tender  hide,  nostrils  drinking  the  air,'  whose  foams  and  yells 
made  part  of  the  spectators  stand  aghast — he,  with  excellent 
dexterity,  skilfully  contrived  to  be  a  match  for  him,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  spot  at  a  graceful  pace.  And  ere  ho 
reached  the  spot  for  rest,  'God  save  the  Queen'  was  heard, 
the  splendid  band  playing  that  which 

*  Language  fades  before  its  spell.* 

Far  a  little  from  the  scene  of  action — untrodden  by  insig- 
nificant individuals — supplied  with  all  kinds  of  food  for 
rofreshraent— decorated  with  such  things  as  beautify  nature 


APPENDIX,  341: 


— amidst  tlie  pathless  intricacies  of  countless  nniltitudes — 
was  erected  a  Grand  Stand.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Governor 
at  tlie  stand,  he  was  most  cordially  greeted  and  received  by 
ladies  of  rank  and  wit  and  gentlemen  of  respectability  and 
erudition  who  were  the  tenants  of  that  localit}'.  The  games 
became  more  lively.  Clergymen,  editors  of  the  different  local 
papers,  and  great  many  of  the  well-to-do,  with  their  consorts, 
&c.,  entered  into  conversation,  and  were  viewing  the  sight. . 
A  very  gratifying  circumstance  it  was  that  all  who  were 
there  present  were  superbly  clad  in  the  latest  Parisian  styles. 
Ladies  with  their  bonnets  and  other  dresses  almost  inde- 
scribable, and  gentlemen  attired  in  costly  vestments,  observed 
the  most  faultless  etiquette.  Some  of  the  gentlemen  must 
have,  no  doubt,  interested  the  little  band,  either  with  the 
light  bantering  of  Addison  or  the  ponderous  verbiage  of 
Johnson.  Added  to  this,  the  place  %vas  like  a  perfumer's, 
where  odoriferous  unguents  delight  the  smell  of  the  visitants. 
Needless  it  is  to  speak  of  the  natural  accomplishments  of 
these  personages,  as  they  soar  beyond  the  pen  of  description. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  gentlemen,  breathing  ambrosial 
scents  around  their  heads,  were  taciturn,  loquacious,  sedate, 
and  grave ;  and  the  ladies,  as 

'  Coy  as  Thetis,  fair  as  Flora, 
lieautiful  as  young  Aurora.' 

"  They  spoke  :  and,  during  the  time  the  games  were  being 
directed  by  a  very  able-bodied  European,  whoso  reward  was 
a  sprained  foot  after  the  celebration  of  the  sports,  were  very 
jolly,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  the  sports  were 
over,  without  a  violation  of  any  trifling  minutiae  of  civility. 

"  Not  to  speak  of  the  High  Jumps,  Flat  Eaces,  &c.,  it  was  no 
ordinary  treat  to  see  lasses  running  with  all  their  might  to 
have  some  pieces  of  cloths  for  their  prizes.  An  event  like 
this  induced  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  the  Grand  Stand  to 
rise  from  their  seats  and  take  a  clearer  view  of  the  scene. 
Many  were  (I  think)  halting  between  two  opinions — either 
to  look  at  the  sports  or  listen  to  the  charming  music.  Would 
that  there  were  ten  eyes  and  ears  to  each !  13ut  impossibility 
18  impossibility. 

"One  of  the  actors,  well-nigh  approaching  to  a  British 
Grenadier,  tumbled  during  the  High  Jumps  on  the  ground, 
and  was  a  victor  of  not  even  a  ridiculous  prize. 


342  APPENDIX, 


"The  scene  went  on  amidst  the  hurrahs  and  applauses  of  the 
spectators:  anions;  them  the  always-the-same  '  Allangbas,' * 
and  the  never-to-be-polished  vnlg^ir.  But  afterwards  nature 
— either  disgusted  at,  or  fatigued  by,  the  event — for  a  while 
interrupted  the  scene  by  her  somewhat  violent  inundations: 
but  subsequently  being  appeased  she  again  charmed  us  with 
her  usual  smiles.  With  her  well-prepared  instruments  she 
was  ready  to  depict  in  the  most  masterly  language  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  day. 

*  Who  can  paint 
Like  nature  ?  Can  imagination  boast. 
Amid  its  gay  creation,  hues  like  hers  ?' 

"All  those  successes  of  the  actors  were  the  results  of  the 
like  energy  which  'built,'  observes  Harris,  'the  mountain 
pyramids  of  Egy^t — which  reared  the  Chinese  wall — by 
which  Alexander  conquered  the  old  world — Columbus  dis- 
covered the  new — and  Kewton  elaborated  the  system  of  the 
universe.' 

"  The  scene  of  action  commanded,  like  the  Acropolis  of 
Athens,  a  most  picturesque  sight  opposite  the  ^ea.  The  fairy 
landscape,  viewed  in  conjunction  with  the  stately  and  com- 
modious houses  by  which  it  was  adorned,  and  the  trees 
already  in  full  bloom  which  cast  their  shades  on  the  un- 
dulating and  glittering  waves  of  the  sluggish  and  ceaseless 
sea  during  ebb  tide,  formed  an  unrivalled  spot  fur  the  pencil 
of  the  artist.  How  delightful  would  it  have  been  to  see  a 
Boswell  ready  to  describe  in  the  most  sparkling  language  the 
proceedings  of  this  auspicious  day.  The  effusions  of  a  poet 
would  have  been  excessive  and  Byronian  delineations  tre- 
mendous— for  the  sight  was  delightful ;  the  gentlemen  were 
masterpieces  of  nature ;  and  the  ladies  each  a  belle  ideal  of 
symmetrical  beauty.  What  topics  were  touched  upon  by 
the  grandees  on  this  occasion  were  so  momentous  that,  like 
Elsie, 

*  Their  words  fell  from  Uicir  h'ps 
Like  roses  from  the  lips  of  Angelo  :  and  Angels 
Might  stoop  to  pick  them  up  !' 

"  Donkeys  were  not  a  whit  behind  the  spectators  and  con- 
tenders ;  thej^  created  their  own  excitement.     On  the  backs 

*  The  Timnehs  are  here  meant. 


APPENDIX.  343 


of  these  heady  brutes  were  to  bo  seen  two  lads  who  en- 
deavoured with  all  their  wits  to  ride  them,  but  all  in  vain ! 
Although  guided  by  some  gentlemen  who  willingly  lent  them 
a  helping  hand,  they  were  tumbled  on  the  ground  as  many 
times  as  they  attempted  to  ride.  The  consequence  was 
that  a  uniA^ersal  roar  of  laughter  ran  through  the  whole 
spot. 

"  Besides  this  there  was  another  interesting  sight.  A 
greasy  pole,  having  at  the  end  a  leg  of  mutton,  was  offered 
to  him  who  would  scale  it  to  its  top.  The  attemj^ts  were 
fruitless.  The  pole,  finding  no  Alexander,  stood  like  the 
Gordian  knot,  and  set  at  the  utmost  defiance  men  of 
magnanimity,  those  possessing  massive  bodies  and  Herculean 
prowess.  Ihus  the  scene  proceeded;  and,  in  reality,  the 
Kubicon  remained  uncrossed. 

"  Whilst  on  the  one  hand  you  would  see  the  refined  natives 
leaping  and  exercising  within  the  circus  with  inimitable 
grace,  you  would,  on  the  other,  without  the  pale  of  the 
circus,  see  Timnehs  in  their  usual  garb  performing  feats, — 
by  whirling  themselves  as  a  well-constructed  steamer  in 
Scylla  or  Chary bdis,—  without  any  taste  or  attraction. 

"  Not  to  speak  of  the  other  exercises,  the  victors,  with 
the  prizes  awarded  them,  claim  the  most  paramount  im- 
portance. 

"  \\  ithout  chaplets  of  flowers,  without  laurel  wreaths,  with- 
out ovations  or  triumphs,  without  the  prizes  in  brief,  anciently 
awarded  to  gladiators,  warriors,  comedians,  lyric,  tragic,  and 
epic  poets,  and  other  innumerable  worthies,  humble  as  the 
premiums  were,  this  is  certain — that  prizes,  acting  as  an 
incentive  and  a  stimulus  to  be  up  and  doing,  were  awarded 
to  the  victors.  And  so  it  was,  if  the  news  is  to  be  credited, 
and  the  veracity  of  the  inaugurators  of  the  games  is  unim- 
peacbed. 

"  Among  all  who  merited  rewards,  two  were  more  especially 
noticed.  At  every  race  almost,  they  went  winning  and  to 
win.  The  prodigious  feats  performed  by  these  two,  coupled 
with  those  of  the  others,  are  sufiicient  to  entitle  each  being 
honoured  with  the  sobriquet  of  '  Yalentinian.' 

*'  During  the  whole  of  the  procedure  the  spectators  were  not 
a  little  cheered  up  by  the  matchless  music  of  the  band,  whose 
stirring  strains  silently  spoke  of  the  perfect  order  of  the 
regiment,  the  worth  of  the  bandmaster,   the  avidity  of  the 


344  APPENDIX, 


men  to  master  such  an  excellent  science,  by  its  being  per- 
formed sostenuto.  Not  descanting  on  the  selections,  overtures, 
&c.,  performed  on  piccolos,  flutes,  cornets,  and  clarionets,  on 
the  whole  it  was  'ear's  deep  sweet  music'  The  Sicilian 
Muses,  if  present,  would  have  stood  astounded,  doubting 
whether  such  was  excellently  managed  by  jnortals  or 
celestials. 

"  One  great  desideratum  wanting  on  that  occasion  to  grace 
it  to  perfection  was  that,  while  the  men  were  employed  in 
doing  such  athletics,  the  ladies  in  the  Grand  Stand  were  not 
engaged  in  performing  Terpsichorean  gymnastics.  The  why 
and  wherefore  veiled  in  a  mystery  was  unravelled. 

"  '1  he  jDopular  excitement  was  unbounded.  The  enthusiasm 
marked  by  the  plaudits  of  the  spectators ;  enthusiasm  evinced 
by  the  actors ;  enthusiasm,  the  great  propeller  to  immortal 
acts — seen  not  only  in  the  horizon,  but  even  on  the  spot 
where  the  games  were  celebrated — was  equal  to,  in  every 
way  (if  it  surpassed  not),  that  of  the  subtle  and  sophistical 
Athenians,  when  the  ridiculer*  of  the  Eleusinian  mysteries, 
noted  for  his  '  versatile  genius  and  natural  foibles,'  returned 
home  from  his  expedition  against  the  Lacedemonians. 

"  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that,  despite  the  countless  multi- 
tudes that  thickened  the  paths  on  the  occasion,  there  was  no 
emeute,  as  might  have  been  expected ;  all  things  went  on  in 
perfect  harmony.  Everyone  was  active,  each  had  his  post, 
all  acted  heart  and  hand,  and  put  forth  an  undivided  atten- 
tion to  render  all  things  energetic  and  attractive. 

"  The  proceedings  of  the  day  went  on  as  at  the  commence- 
ment, till  about  half-past  6  p.m.  with  quickened  step  brown 
night  appeared,  and  terminated  the  affair  never  to  be  for- 
gotten in  the  archives  of  Western  Africa. 

"  If  the  city  and  the  rural  districts  should,  at  all  times,  be 
exhibiting  shows,  and  be  ready  and  willing  to  excite  public 
admiration  by  horse-races,  regattas,  &c.,  and  by  grand  con- 
certs, where  comic  and  such  like  songs  delight  the  ears  of  the 
audience  :  then  by  such  emulations  and  amusements,  not  only 
will  we  find  that  in  process  of  time  the  Colony  shall  be, 
under  an  All-wise  Providence,  one  of  ph}  sical  improvement, 
but  by  vieing  with  each  other  in  the  pure  sciences,  the 
intelligence  of  the  inhabitants  shall  arrive  at  its  climax,  and 


Alcibiades. 


APPENDIX.  345 


it  shall  equal  the  admirable  Crichton's,  who  '  acted  the 
divine,  the  lawyer,  the  mathematician,  the  soldier,  and  the 
physician,  with  .such  inimitable  grace,  that  every  lime  he 
appeared  upon  the  theatre  he  seemed  to  be  a  different 
per.s(m.' 

"  Thus  this  event,  like  all  other  things  human,  had  its  end  ; 
and,  amidfit  the  unbounded  praises  and  acclamations  of  the 
spectators,  combined  with  the  heart-stining  strains  of  the 
band  which  cast  weariness  on  this  occasion  to  absolute 
nothingness,  and  which  was  eminently  calculated  to  magnify 
the  sigHt,  every  one,  with  much  eclai,  went  to  his  domicile 
prepared  to  relate  to  his  absent  friend  or  friends  the  dexterity 
and  vigour  evinced  at  the  athletic  arena,  and  all  bade  the 
scene  of  action  their  tender  farewells! 


Sierra  Leone,  Jan.  1870." 


(    3«    ) 


INDEX. 


ABUSES. 


A. 


Abuses  by  authorities  of  Angola, 
197. 

Adansonias,  abundance  of,  from 
Piiver  Conj^o  to  Mossamedes,  15. 

African  fevers,  facts  and  observa- 
tions about,  295. 

Agave,  16. 

Alligators,  37,  234. 

Ambaca,  natives  of,  223. 

Ambaquista,  natives  of  Ambaca, 
223. 

Ambriz,  description  of  town,  84, 
85;  trade  of,  ib.;  iron  pier  at, 
87  ;  author's  return  to,  127 ;  ne- 
groes, customs  of  the,  154. 

,  vegetation  of,  1(5,  17 ;  exports 

from  in  1874,  62. 

to  Mossamedes,  13. 

to  Loanda  country,  168. 

Ambrizzette,  witchcraft  at,  36  ; 
treatment  of  a  black  for  forgery, 
64. 

Amydrus  fulvipenmn,  256. 

i^ndrade,  on  buard  the,  to  Quanza, 
229. 

Angola,  discovery  and  early  history, 
1  ;  Portuguese  possessions  of,  13  ; 
physical  geogniphy  of,  ib.;  de- 
scription of  coast-line,  ib. ;   cha- 


AUTIIOR. 

racter  of  landscape,  14  ;  change 
of  landscape  at  13"  S.  lat.,  15 ; 
vegetation  of  from  Ambriz  to 
Bembe,  16  ;  slave  trade  in,  33  ; 
etatistics  of  slaves  shipped  in,  38 ; 
division  of,  195 ;  pay  of  governor 
and  army  officers,  196  ;  abuses 
by  authorities  of,  197  ;  climate 
of,  294 ;  effect  of  climate  on 
Europeans,  296 ;  customs  of  the 
natives,  313. 

Angolceafiuitaris,  239. 

Anha  Kiver,  261. 

Animal  food  of  the  natives,  163. 

Arachis  liypogcea,  native  name  of, 
"  mpinda,"  or  "  ginguba,"  72 ;  de- 
scription of,  ib. ;  its  cultivation, 
ib. ;  preparation  of  the  nut  and 
Chili  pepper,  73. 

Arms  and  war,  143. 

Atacamite,  where  found,  105. 

Author  buys  a  slave,  43 ;  the  slave's 
ingratitude  to,  ib. ;  reception  of 
by  Senhor  Chaves  at  Boma,  46; 
at  a  picnic  organized  by  Senhor 
Chaves,  48 ;  catches  four  new 
species  of  fish  at  Boma,  52 ;  dis- 
coverer of  the  baobab  fibre  as  a 
substance  for  paper-making,  66; 
manages  a  malachite  mine,  88  ; 
accompanies  Mr.  Augustus  Archer 
Silva  to  Quanza,  228. 


S48 


• 
INDEX. 


AUTHOK. 


Author,  mining  explorations   of,  at 
Benguella,  24,  271,  275. 


B 


Baba  Bay,  abundance  of  fish  at,  284. 

Babies,  treatment  of,  40. 

Bagre  tish,  28. 

Bagrus,  *'  Bagre"  fish,  240. 

Baobab-tree  —  Adansonia  digitata, 
13,  16. 

bark,  its  application  to  paper- 
making  (discovered  by  author  in 
1858),  42  ;  baobabs  at  Boma,  46. 

or  Adansonia  digitata^  as  a 

substance  lor  paper-making,  66; 
description  of  the  tree,  and  use 
of  the  trunk,  67  ;  mode  of  taking 
off  the  bark,  68;  its  fruit,  and 
mode  of  climbing  it,  71. 

Banana,  trading  factories  at,  45. 

Bananas,  or  plantains,  161 ;  as  food, 
162. 

Barra  da  Corimba,  178. 

Basalt,  286. 

Bats,  abundance  of  in  churches,  237. 

Bed-clothing  of  the  natives,  146. 

Beer,  native,  manufacture  of,  165. 

Bees — mode  of  getting  honey,  257. 

Bellows,  native,  218. 

Bernbe,  vegetation  of,  16,  17,  18; 
description  of,  104. 

Fort,  109  ;  soil  about,  123. 

Bengo  river,  175. 

Bengo  to  Loanda,  vegetation,  177. 

Benguella,  16 ;  mining  opt'rations 
at,  24  ;  country  sontti  of,  25. 

town,  258  ;  fertility  of  its  soil, 

trade,  &-c ,  265  ;  slave-trade  at, 
267. 

and  Mossamcdcs,  country  be- 
tween, 282,  283. 

Berenjela,  egg  plant,  163. 

Bigoie,  or  moustache-bird  (Critha- 
gra  iciera\  278. 


CARDOZO. 

Bimba  tree  (Herminieria  Elaphro- 

aylort),  273. 
Bimbas,  birds  at,  279. 
Birds  of  Boma,  47 ;  habits  of  various 

kinds,  48. 
Bitumen,  173. 
Bleeding,  fondness  of  the  natives  for, 

310. 
Boma,  as  centre  for  slave-trade,  81 ; 

cultivation  of,  47 ;  birds  cf,  ib. ; 

distrust  of  natives  at,  50. 
Bombo,  preparation,  158. 
Bonny,  landing  at,  63. 
Brachytrypes       achalinus       (king 

cricket),  164. 
Brandy,  use  of  in  Africa,  300. 
Bronchitis,  &c.,  native  treatment  of, 

307. 
Bruto,  plantation  at,  232. 
Bucorax     Ahyssinicus     (hornbili), 

206. 
Bunda-speaking  natives,  indolence 

of,  222. 
Burial  among  the  natives,  151. 

and  burial-places,  317. 

Bustards,  170. 

Bustards  at  Benguella,  276. 

Butterflies,  species  of,  327. 


Cabofa  da  Cobra  to  Ambriz — de- 
scription of  coast-line,  57  ;  vege- 
tation, ih. 

Cajanus  indicus,  shrub,  163. 

Calumbo,  scenery,  vegetation,  &c., 
230. 

Cambambe,  high  grass  at,  21  ;  water 
at,  26 ;  description  of  journey  to, 
263 ;  cataracts  at,  239. 

Camoensia  maxima,  plant,  97. 

Cannibalism,  252. 

Capatas,  or  captains  of  the  carriers, 
lOS,  111. 

Cardozo,  Feo,  on  the  "  History  of 
the  Governors  of  Angola,"  1. 


INDEX, 


349 


CASCA. 

Casca,  preparation  of,  35  ;  effect  by 

poisoning  from,  «&.,  71. 
Cashew-tree,  25. 
Cassao,  dogfish,  279. 
Cassanza,  countiy  about,  250. 
Gassy t ha— (C.  Guineensisf),  25  ;  at 

Liiache,  275. 
Castor-oil  plant  in  Xovo  Eedondo 

and  Benguella,  28. 
Catinga,  or  odour  of  the  natives,  20. 
Cattle,  cause  for  absence  of,  25. 
and  other  animals,  mortality 

of,  113. 
Catumbella,  scenery  and  vegetation, 

263. 
Cazongo,  213-215 ;    abundance    of 

food  at,  224. 
Cells  country,  252. 
Chameleons,  226. 

Circumcision  among  the  natives,  152. 
Civilization  of  the  negro,  63. 
Climate  of  Angola,  etlcct  on  Euro- 
peans, 296. 
Coffee-trade,  74. 
ColTee  plantations,  214 ;  wild,  about 

Golungo  Alto   and  the  Dembos, 

217. 
Cola  fruit,  187. 
Commerce,  65. 
Congo  lliver,   13,  15;  a  boundary, 

30  ;  depth,  ib. ;  mouth  of,  45. 

,  probable  sources  of,  31,  205. 

to  Ambriz,  the  country  from, 

50. 
lliver  and  Ambriz,  system  of 

trading,  59. 

,  king  of,  117 ;  customs  of,  121. 

Cooktry  of  Angola  native?,  297. 
Copper  at  Benguella,  264;  at  Qui- 

leba,  271. 
Copper  ore  at  Ciuo  Bay,  275. 
Coracias  caudata,  manner  of  flying, 

&c.,  95,  177. 
Corythaix  Paulina,  plantain-caters, 

suix-Tstitiuus  dread  of  by  the  na- 
tives, 208. 


ELAND. 

Corytliomis  cyanostigma,  kingfisher, 

233. 
Cotton  growth  at  Cazengo,  224. 
Creepers,  description  of,  17,  18,  25. 
Crime,  punishment  for  in  Angola, 

192. 
Crows  (Corvus  scapulatufi),  284. 
Cuacra,  cannibalism  at,  251. 
Cuio  Bay,  275. 
Cursorius  SenegaUnsis,  177. 
Cu«toms  of  natives  of  the  interior, 

221. 
CynocephaluH     sp.      of     dog-faced 

monkey,  272. 


D 


Dances  of  the  natives,  241. 
Dande  Elver,  175. 
Dead,  "drying"  of  the,  151. 
Decamera  Jovis-tonantis,  hard-wood 

shrub,  preservative  against  light- 

nins,  221. 
Diamba,  hemp   for  smoking,   181, 

307. 
Dias,  Captain,    governor   of  Barra 

do  Bengo,  44. 
Dirty  habits  of  the  natives,  308. 
Dish,  Angola  native,  167. 
Dog's  sense  of  smell  when  nearing  a 

negro,  20. 
Dombe  Grande,  rush  of  water  down 

the  Luache,  28. 

,  district  of,  273. 

Dondo  town,  238. 
Dress  of  the  kings,  143. 

natives,  145. 

Drunkenness  of  Englishmen,  299. 

Dyes  and  paints,  330. 

Dysentery,  native  treatment  of,  304. 

E. 

Egg  trade,  115. 

Egito  river,  259. 

Eland  steak,  a  breakfast  of,  288. 


350 


INDEX. 


ENGONGUI. 

Engonoiui  sijrnal-lxills,  111. 

Etituclii,  shrub,  used  for  curing 
headache,  304. 

Ep^om- salts,  310. 

Lriodendton  anfractuosiim,  cotton- 
wood  tree,  214. 

Erythrophlccum  Guinrense,  action 
of  poison  extracted  from,  34. 

Euphorbia  tree,  13  ;  abundance  of, 
Irom  liiver  Congo  to  Mossamedes, 
15  ;  in  Atnbriz,  16. 

Euaemia  ochracea,  moth,  87. 

F. 

Fairs,  115. 

Falls  of  Cambambe,  239. 
Farofa,  ]ireparation,  160. 
Farinha  de  pao,  preparation,  159. 
Fedegozo    {Cassia    occidentalt's)   as 

a  substitute  for  quinine,  302. 
Fet  ish,  as  a  punisliment  to  drunkards, 

Go. 
"  Fetishes"  of  the  negro,  fetish  men, 

&c.,  136-139. 
Fetish-house,  171. 
Fever,  its  prevention  and  cure,  301. 

,  native  treatment  of,  303. 

Fevers  at  Bembe,  125. 

Fish,  mode  of  cooking  at  Loanda, 

183. 

caught  at  Loanda,  184. 

and  fisheries  between  Benguella 

and  Mossamedes,  279. 
Food,  abundant  growth  at  Cazengo, 

224. 
Frogs  as  food,  164. 
Fruits,  329. 
Furniture  of  the  natives,  155. 


Gamboa,  General,  169. 

Garapa,  drink,  164. 

Garlic  as  a  food  for  hot  climate,  298. 

Gigantic  grasses,  18. 


INDIA-KUBBER. 

Giraul  river,  285. 

Gold  at  Lombige,  216. 

Golungo  Ah 0,2 13-215. 

Gorilla  and  Chimpanzee,  where 
found,  30. 

Gourds  of  Cazengo  and  Pungo  An- 
dongo,  224. 

Grandy,  Lieut.,  89. 

Grass,  "  Capim  de  faca  "  or  knife- 
grass,  18. 

,  description  of  burning,  22. 

Ground-nut,  analysis,  227. 

Gum-arabic  at  Mossamedes,  285. 

Gum  Elenii,  called  "mubalb,"  113. 

Gun-loading  by  the  natives,  78. 

Gypsum,  176. 

H. 

Habits  and  customs  of  natives  in 

Angola,  313. 
Hammock,  description  of,  90. 
Haricot-bean,  54. 
Head,  mode  of  shaving  the,  148. 
,  *'  inhabitants  "  of  the,  trap  for 

catching,  and  professional  catchei-s, 

148. 
Herva  Santa  Maria  {Chenojpodium 

ambrosioides),  303. 
Hippopotami  in  the  River  Quanza, 

234. 
Hornbill,  the,  207. 
(7'occus    elegans   and    Toccus 

Monteiri),  at  Benguella,  276. 
Hot-spring  at  Dongo,  255. 
Hijdnora,a.  Haflflesiaccous plant,  280. 
Hydraulic-press     for    baleing    the 

baobab  fibre,  70. 
Hyenas,   211 ;    steal    the    author's 

sheep,  212;   attack  of  by  wolf- 

hoimd,  289. 

L 

Import-duties,  201. 
India-rubber  creeper,  description  of, 
17,  76. 


INDEX, 


asi 


INDIAN-CORX. 

Indian-corn,  162. 

Indolence    of   the    Bunda-speaking 

natives.  222. 
Infundi,  prei)arrttion,  158. 
Iiil<,  ingredients  of  native,  220. 
Insanity  among  the  natives,  153. 
It  on-smelting  at  Cazcngo,  219. 
Ivjry,  77. 

J. 

Jasmine  at  Benguella,  271. 
Jasminum  anriculatnm,  170. 
multipaititum,  170. 

K. 

Kew  Gardens,  author's  collection  of 
plants  in  the  herbarium  at,  98. 

Kimpoaca,  aver-ionot"  natives  to  the 
landing  of  hydraulic  press,  70. 

King  Parrot,  where  found,  30. 

Kingfishers,  233. 

Kinsao,  mineral  pitch  at,  83. 

L. 

Landolp7iia,floridaf  the  tree-creeper 
that  produces  india-rubber,  76. 

Language  of  the  different  races,  219. 

Lead  ore,  275. 

Leeches,  abundance  of,  312. 

Lemur,  Oalago  Monteiri,  333. 

Libollo  country,  247. 

Libongo,  172. 

Lions  at  Carunjamba,  280. 

Lissochilus  giganteuSj  found  at  Porto 
do  Lenha,  45. 

Little  Fish  Bay,  13. 

Lizards,  226. 

Loanda,  16  ;  baptizing  slaves  at,  38. 

•,  death  of  a  boy  in  market-place 

at,  40. 

,  vegetation,  176. 

,   city  of   St.  Paul   de,    178  ; 

population,  179 ;  style  of  build- 
ing, ib. ;  market  of,  180  ;  custom 


MIRAGE. 

of  the  ladies  of,  185  ;  dress  of 
the  people,  186  ;  slavery  in,  1H8  ; 
vegetation,  191;  j^olice  of,  193; 
lighting  of  the  city,  193  ;  theatre 
at,  ib. ;  morals,  ib. 

Loangos  or  Loandos'  mats,  166. 

Lobato,  Senhor,  202. 

Lobito  Bay,  262. 

Loi-anthus,  seed  of,  used  as  bird- 
lime, 279. 

Luache  river  at  Dombe  Grande,  27. 

,  quicksands  at,  274. 

M. 

"  Macotas  "  or  the  council,  140. 
Maculo,  a  disease  peculiar  to  blacks, 

its  treatment,  304. 
Malachite,  89,  105. 
,  how  and  where  found,  105- 

108. 
Malagueta  pepper,  161. 
Malulo,    Vernonia    {Elepliantopus) 

JSenegahnsis. 
Manatee,  or  woman-fish,  176,  235. 
Mandioca  plant,  cultivation  of,  157; 

preparation,  159,  274. 
Mangrove  tree,  230. 
Manis      muUiscutata,      ant-eatiiig 

animal,  318. 
Manoel  Vacca,  notorious  pirate,  51. 
Maquata,  the  red  gum-cnpal,  75. 
Maiacachao   bird  (Pytdia  elegans\ 

278. 
Marble  column  at  Santa  Maria  Cape, 

commemorating     its     discovery, 

283. 
Marriage  law  of  the  natives,  145. 
Massangano  town,  237. 
Mateba  palm,   abundance   of,  from 

Biver  Congo  to  Ambrizzette,  24. 
Matuta,  change  of  scenery  and  ve^ 

getation,  16. 

,  visit  to,  109. 

Mineral  pitch,  83. 

Mirage  at  Mossamedcs,  292. 


INDEX, 


MOSSAMEDES. 

PEPPER. 

Mossamcdes,  13,  15,  16. 

Nedarinice^  55. 

(Little  Fish  Bay),  285. 

Negro  cook  making  forcemeat  balls, 

,  climate,  society,  &c.,  293. 

20. 

Mosquitoes,  92. 

,   insensibility  of  the,  39-41 ; 

Mourning  of  the  natives,  152. 

ingratitude  of  the,  43  ;  character 

Mucelis,  16. 

of  the,  131 ;  absence  of  afleclion 

^. customs,  257. 

in  the,  133  ;  social  laws  of  the, 

Mucoandos  tribe,  290. 

134;  absence  of  sympathy  in  the. 

Mnc;)Zo  river,  26,  203. 

ib. ;    absence   of  cruelty   in  the. 

Mundombes,  the  inhabitants  of  Ben- 

135  ;    "  fetishes  "    of  the,    136  ; 

gueUa,  their  clothing,  vegetation, 

toilet  of,  144 ;  mode  of  shaving 

mode  of  eating  meat,  &c.,  268 ; 

the  head,  148. 

their  arms,  269. 

Negroes,  ankle-rings,  worn  hy,  52; 

Muinzus  or  pestles,  167. 

customs  of,  154  ;  odour  of,  20. 

Mule,  dislike  to  being  harnessed  by 

Ngillo,  vegetable,  163. 

a  negro,  20. 

Novo  lledondo,  16. 

Muqueca,  its  ingredients,  297. 

natives  of,  251-253. 

Muquices  tribe,  290. 

Nymphoea     dentata   aud     stellata^ 

Mus  Gamhianus,  258. 

water-lily,  233. 

Mushicongo    negroes,    customs    of. 

154 ;  mode  of  building  their  huts, 

0. 

156  ;  furniture  of  the,  ib. 

Musical  instruments  of  the  natives. 

Oil,  do-fish,  279. 

242. 

Oil-palm  at  Bembe,  18. 

Mussera,  town,  79. 

Ophthalmia,  its  rarity,  308. 

Mussurongo  tribe,  pirates,  51 ;  ankle- 

Orange  River,  15. 

rings  worn  by,  52;  customs  of. 

Orchilla-weed,  267. 

154. 

Ordeal  by  poison,  34. 

Muxima  town,  233. 

Ornaments  of  kings'  and  macotas 

Muxixe  tree,  16. 

wives,  147. 

Ox-bird  (Buphaga  Africana),  278. 

N. 

Oxen  trained  for  riding,  285. 

Native  remedies  for  diseases,  310. 

P      . 

Natives,  custom  of,  in  case  of  death, 

after  the  administration  of  medi- 

Palm-chop, 53. 

cine,  or  after  the  performance  of 

tree,  mode  of  climbing,  52. 

an  operation,  41 ;  objection  of  to 

wine,  54. 

work  for  wages,  42  ;   fear  of  at 

Panda    or    wattled    crane    (^Grus 

sight  of  a  steamer,  69;  customs 

carunculafa),  211. 

of  the,  141 ;  bed-clothing,  146. 
Navigation  of  Elvers  Dande,  Bengo, 

Paper-making,  baobab    tree    in  its 
application  to,  42. 

&c.,  26. 

Papyrus,  growth  of,  163. 

Nborotuto  shrub,  205. 

Pedra  grande,  or  "  big  stone,"  2S7. 

Ncomboor  goat-root,  used  to  flavour 

Pentalohus  harhatus,  beetle,  81. 

tobacco,  314. 

Pepper,  Chili,  &c.,  161. 

INDEX. 


353 


PICNIC. 

Picnic  at  Boma,  visit  of  the  nine 

kings,  48. 
Pirao,  preparation,  ICO. 
Pitch,  mineral,  172. 
Plants  used  by  natives  for  cure  of 

dysentery  or  diarrha?a,  304. 
Plaster-of-paris,    manufactured    by 

author  from  gypsum-rock,  275. 
Polygamy  among  the  natives,  145. 
Porcupini'S,  328. 
Porto  da  Lenha,  description  of,  45. 

Domingos,  203. 

Potato,  sweet,  162. 

Productions  of  Cazengo,  224-227. 

Products,  60-75. 

Ptyelus  qlivaceus,  or  spit-frog,  226. 

Pungo  Andongo  range,  description  of 

scenery,  17. 

,  natives  of,  223. 

Pungo  fish,  79. 

Purgatives  used  by  the  natives,  309. 


Q 


Quanza  Kiver,  26,  228. 

"  Queima<la,"  burning  grass,  de- 
scription of,  22. 

Quiavo.  or  Quingombo,  163. 

Quiballd,  17 ;  description  of  country, 
94. 

to  Quilumbo,  101. 

Quifiindongo,  177. 

Quileba,  cojiper  at,  271. 

Quilumbo,  102;  from, to  Bembe,103. 

Quinbun  o  natives,  246. 

Quiiicollo,  129. 

Quindas  or  bas^kets,  165. 

Quingombe,  P29. 

Quinine — frdegozo  used  as  a  substi- 
tute by  Toi  tu'^ue.se,  302. 

Quioco  bird,  210. 

Qui]mpa,  spring  of  ferruginous  water 
at,  274. 

Quiquanga,  preparation,  159. 

Quirandas,  shell  bead  ornaments, 
258. 


SLAVE-TEADE. 


Quissama  country,  245. 

ladies,  fashions  of  the,  247. 


R 


Pain,  fall  of,  23. 

Pat-catching,  163. 

Rnts,  as  food,  164  ;  at  Libongo,  172. 

Root  parasite,  109,  280. 


Salale,  or  white  ant,  164,  318. 

Salt,  81. 

San  Francisco  River,  274. 

San  Salvador,  1 23. 

Sand-grouse — Pterocles  namaquuSy 
27()^ 

Sangue-sangue,  tall  grass,  303. 

Sanseviera  plant,  16,  25. 

Santa  Maria  Cape,  283. 

Sarna,  a  kind  of  itch  common 
among  blacks,  308. 

Scents,  329. 

Scorpions,  effects  of  their  stimr,  259, 
260. 

Scopus  umhretfa,  heron-like  bird, 
207. 

Senhor  Chaves,  46 ;  organizes  a 
picnic,  48, 

Sesamum  indicum  seed,  74. 

Seshania punctatayVcrs.,  shrub  com- 
mon in  marshes,  262. 

Sharks,  absence  of  south  of  River 
Congo,  28. 

Silva,  Mr.  Augustus  Archer,  accom- 
panies author  to  Quanza,  228. 

Silver  in  Cambnmbe,  201. 

Skin-disease,  treatment  of,  309. 

Slave,  author  buys  a,  43. 

Slaves  shipped  in  Angola,  statistics 
of,  38  ;  treatment  of  in  case  of 
famine,  38;  native  laws  regard- 
ing, 42  ;  cost  of,  113. 

Slave-trade,  31 ;  explanation  of  in 
Angola,  33. 

2  A 


354 


INDEX, 


SLAVE-TRADE. 

Slave-trade  at  Bengnella,  2C7. 
Slavery,  32 ;    observance  of    laws, 

33  ;  w  itclicraft  in,  34  ;  ordeal  by 

poison,    ih. ;     in    Loandi,     189 ; 

aiilhor's   views    on  abolition   of, 

189. 
Sleep-disease,  79  ;  description  of,  80. 
Simkes,  330. 

Subn,  a,  visits  the  author,  261. 
Dumbo,  formerly  a  powerful 

kin-,  104. 
Solunum  saponaceum,  apple  of  the, 

used  as  soap,  227. 
Sole,  bird,  257. 
Sounds  of  birds,  &c.,  1G7. 
Sphynx  moths,  333. 
Spit-frog,  the,  226. 
Spring-bok,  near  Mossamedes.  226. 
Sterculia  tomentosa,  16. 
Sulphate  of  magnesia,  286. 
Sulphur  at  Dombe  Grande,  274. 
Suspension-bridge  at  Novo  Kedondo, 

254. 


T. 


"  Tangandando,"  india-rubber,  76. 
Tobacco,  its  efiicacy  for  inflammation 

of  bowels,  310 ;  its  use  by  natives, 

314. 
Toilet  of  the  negro,  144. 
Trading  between  River  Congo  and 

Ambriz,  59. 
Traps   to  catch   "  inhabitants "  of 

the  htad,  148. 
Travelling,  mode  of,  91. 
Treron  calva,  256. 
Trial  of  a  man  for  bewitching  the 

spirit  of  his  dead  wife,  37. 
Trionyx  iiilotka,  tortoise,  235. 
U'uracus    cristatus,    plantain- cater, 

214. 


ZOMBO. 


U. 


Uallua,  drink,  164. 
Ulceis,  native  remedies  for,  305. 
Uzanzos,  baskets  or  sieves,  167. 
Uzus,  or  mortars,  167. 

V. 

Vegetables,   growth  of,  at  Bembe, 

125. 
Vegetation  of  Angola,  from  Ambriz 

to  Bcmbe,  16  ;  fiom  liiver  Congo 

to  Mos.-arnedes,  24. 
Viuva,  or  long-taihd  whydah-finch 

(  Vidua  pai  adised),  279. 
Voandzeia  sublerranea,  227. 
Volcanic  rocks,  205,  283,  286. 

W. 

Wages  of  Englishmen  in  Africa, 
299. 

Water,  mode  of  getting,  in  dry 
season,  24  ;  finding  of  at  Cam- 
bambe,  26;  curious  deposits  of, 
287. 

Watercress,  218. 

AVasps,  323,  325. 

Welwitschia  mirahilis,  plant,  291. 

White  men,  reception  of,  by  king, 
141. 

Wil<t-hemp  smoking,  307. 

Witchcraft  at  Ambrizzette,  36. 

Women's  work,  157. 

Writing,  style  of  employed  by  na- 
tives, 339. 

Z. 

Zebras  at  Bengnella,  272. 
Zombo  tribe,  mode  of  dressing  the 
hair,  &c.,  148. 


Books    of   Travel, 


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